2005 WSOP champion Hachem eliminated

Australian Joe Hecham, the 2005 World Series of Poker Champion, was eliminated from the 2009 competition late Monday.

Hachem was playing on the ESPN feature table with 2008 champion Peter Eastgate in the $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em world championship event, when the end came.

Hachem, who finished in 104th place to earn $40,288, leaves Eastgate as the last remaining former champion alive in the event.

Other big names still in the action late Monday were Dennis Phillips of St. Louis, who finished third in last year’s main event, and top-professional and seven-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey of Las Vegas, who moved into the top 10 in the chip count late in the day.

Eastgate, of Denmark, earned $9.15 million a year ago. Eastgate’s performance is closest the defending champion has come to reaching the final table two years in a row since 2005, when 2004 defending champion Greg Raymer went out in 25th place.

Some 6,494 players began the main event at the Rio a week ago. The field will be cut to 70 by the end of play tonight. On Tuesday, the field will dwindle down 27 who will come back Wednesday and play to make the final table of nine.

The nine-player final table will return to the Rio in November to play for the title. The winner will take home more than $8.55 million with all nine players at the final table earning more than $1 million.