Call it a hunch that went wrong or call it a momentary lapse of concentration. But Joe Hachem, playing only on the first day of the World Poker Tour World Championship, made a fold that could well be labeled as the gaffe of the century in the coming days.

This 25K buy-in, $13 million prize pool tournament is being played at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

It was the pre-flop and Jordan Morgan raised to 700. He was called by Hachem, who was on the button, and two others players. Hachem was holding an off suit 5-3. Then the flop was A-7-4. All players checked. Then the turn was a 6. Now Hachem held a second nut straight. That is about the best that one can hope to go with an off suit 5-3. Morgan bet 2,000. The other players folded and Hachem raised to 7,000.

Hectic betting followed with Morgan going to 12,000, Hachem to 22,000 and Morgan to 27,000. It was then Hachem went into a deep think, over what experts say was a simple straightforward decision. Maybe the fact that he had only 27,000 or thereabouts left in his stack was troubling him.

For whatever reason Hachem felt that Morgan was holding an 8-5. This would give Morgan the nut straight and enable him to beat Hachem. The more Hachem though the more he was convinced that Morgan had an 8-5. Finally he told Morgan “You got 8-5 kid?” and folded his cards face up. Morgan could not believe the bonanza he had received. He flipped over his pocket aces, which actually placed him behind Hachem.

Experts are unanimous over the unlikelihood of Morgan holding an 8-5 and are calling this one of the worst folds of all time. But had Morgan actually been holding an 8-5, Hachem’s fold would have become the master play of the century.

Joe Hachem has earned the right to play as he wants. Joe Hachem is a Lebanese who lives in Melbourne, Australia. He started playing poker 10 years ago when ill health forced him to give up his chiropractor trade. He finished 11^th in the recently concluded European Poker Tour in Monte Carlo. He has almost $11 million in lifetime earnings. $7.5 million of those came in the 2005 World Series of Poker No Limit Hold’em, which also earned him a main event bracelet. His second first place finish was at the World Poker Tour No Limit Hold'em Championship in 2006, which was also incidentally played at the Bellagio. This fetched him another $2 million. Hachem is very much a family man who says his ambition is to look after his family, his mother and his four children.

In spite of the favor from Hachem, Morgan does not find a place in the list of 188 contenders still in the fray at the end of Day 2. Robert Mizrachi tops the list with a chip count of 523,200. Jayde Tran is in second place with 406,700.