Yesterday he was a virtual unknown.

Today he is one of the most famous people in the world.

He is Joseph Cada and he has won the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.

Victory came for Cada at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, early Tuesday morning after three grueling hours and 88 hands of head-to-head play against runnerup Darvin Moon.

The winning hand was a pair of nines.

For the win, Cada, 21, a college dropout from Shelby Township, Michigan, USA, receives a championship gold bracelet and $8.55 million in cash.

Moon, 46, of Oakland, Maryland, a self-employed logger, earns $5.18 million.

Moon was the chip leader at the final table of nine when play began on Saturday.

Cada had just the fifth-highest chip stack at the final table when play began–millions of chips fewer than Moon–so his victory is a major upset.

It’s also historical.

Cada becomes the youngest person ever to win a WSOP Main Event, breaking the record set just last year by Peter Eastgate of Denmark.

Although both were 21 when they won the Main Event, Cada is months younger than Eastgate was when he won.

Before Eastgate, the record belonged to Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr., who was 24 when he won the WSOP Main Event in 1989.

“I ran really well and I never really thought this was possible,” Cada said at a post-victory press conference. “It was one of those dreams and I’m thankful it came true.”

Gambling genes run in Cada’s family.

Among those on hand to congratulate the ‘09 Main Event winner after his victory was Cada’s mother, a card dealer at a Detroit casino.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)