Irish-American Steve O’Dwyer (pictured, center) is the 14th highest-earning poker player of all-time. He has regularly played across the globe for some of the highest stakes in the game.
Earlier this November, he cashed $1.1 million over two events at the Triton Super High Roller Series in Monte Carlo. This week, he added €120 ($126) to that hefty winnings list, as he conquered his opponents in a far lower stakes tournament against a rather starstruck group of Irish poker students.
O’Dwyer, who was born in Colorado but now lives in Dublin, Ireland, finished first in Tuesday’s Dublin City University Poker Society Punters vs. Pros tournament.
After displaying his considerable skills taking down the field of 100 students and a handful of fellow poker pros, O’Dwyer donated his €120 winnings to the Poker Society’s funds pot.
“We knew Steve was one of the best players ever, so having him show up was a privilege,” said Jack Reynolds, chairperson of DCU Poker Society.
“It was an amazing opportunity for our members to play against (the pros) and learn from the best.”
The Tournament
The special event was organized by the Poker Society at the University. Funds to put on the event were contributed by the University, society members, and a sponsorship from World Poker Tour Global.
The €5 buy-in tournament attracted 118 entrants. The large majority of those were students from the society, but four poker pros were also taking to the felt.
Former Dublin City student and PokerStars ambassador Fintan Hand joined O’Dwyer at the tables, as well as Irish pros Dara O’Kearney and Thomas Murphy.
As well as the €100 main prize, a special bounty of €20 was put on O’Dwyers head for anyone able to knock out the poker all-time legend. Those able to cash were also in line for tickets to a €200 buy-in WPT Global tournament.
O’Dwyer played a relatively loose game starting out, but tightened up he approached the €10 bubble. At the final table, he was “all business” with an aggressive game, according to one student who also made the cut.
In the end, O’Dwyer cruised to victory, winning the final hand with a 7-8 off-suit to a straight flop. He donated his €100 winnings, plus the €20 bounty no-one claimed, to the poker society’s end-of-year party fund.
“I’m the king of student poker in Ireland. Last month, the poker club at the University of Galway invited me to play and I finished 5th/70. Tonight, I visited Dublin City University, the alma mater of @EasyWithAces. He put a €20 bounty on me and I came out on top of a field of 100,” O’Dwyer wrote on social media after the event.
The Legend
Interestingly enough, Irish-descended O’Dwyer first picked up playing poker while at East Carolina University in the early 2000s. After playing $5 cash games in dorms, he watched then-amateur Chris Moneymaker win the 2003 World Series of Poker, and decided to take poker seriously.
By 2007, he was winning tens of thousands at the WSOP. His first high roller tournament win was in 2013, when he won the European Poker Tour Monte Carlo Main Event for $1.6 million.
As of 2024, O’Dywer’s live career earnings stand at $45,227,575. Since he donated his latest tournament winnings, that total has not increased by $126.
In the world of poker, professional players do occasionally drop in on low stakes games, whether in organized tournaments or just by random chance.
In August 2023, all-time money lister Daniel Negreanu was out walking his dog near his home in suburban Las Vegas when he was recognized by a high schooler about to play a poker game with his friends. The star offered to play a few hands at the student’s house, joining their $0.25 cash game and updating his fans on social media about the plays.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
