Ciaran O'Leary
Encyclopedia
Ciarán O'Leary (born October 27, 1973) is an Irish
professional
poker
player who resides in Seattle, Washington, USA.
, County Cork
, Ireland
. Son of greyhound trainer Terry O'Leary and mother Sheila, Ciarán was one of three children. Much of Ciarán's childhood was spent accompanying his father anywhere from different "Point to Point" Horse track events, the Cork Greyhound Track, and to the various betting shops across County Cork, where the young Ciarán would often be found in the corner observing the various poker games at play.
as a young rounder
in 1997 with $1,000 in his pocket. His first night stateside was spent in a poker game at a Boston
pub where he won $3,000. He then traveled cross country, via Amtrak
, ending up in San Francisco, where he quickly made his mark in the San Francisco Bay Area
poker scene, developing a winning reputation at Lucky Chances, taking down numerous titles. It was there that the moniker "Big C" was tagged in lieu of the constant mispronunciation of his name.
O'Leary's biggest win came at the 2007 World Series of Poker
when he won Event #3. The $1,500 No Limit Hold'em event attracted 2,998 participants, which at the time was the biggest live tournament in Poker history outside of the 2005 and 2006 Main Events, with the victory earning O'Leary his first bracelet and $727,012. The event was nationally televised on ESPN.
In 2008 O'Leary was selected to play on the Irish team in The Poker Nations Cup. He played in the final heat, composed of Rolande Dewolfe, Marcel Luske, Robert Williamson III, Benjamin Kang and William Thorsen. O'Leary finished second in the heat and Ireland would eventually end up finishing second to Great Britain.
In 2008 O'Leary joined paddypowerpoker.com
as the company's brand ambassador and sponsored professional. As such, he represents the poker room at large buy-in live events, in promotional work and by writing a blog
on the company website.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player who resides in Seattle, Washington, USA.
Early life
O'Leary grew up in modest conditions in the single street village of CarrigalineCarrigaline
Carrigaline is a single-street town in County Cork, Ireland. It is about 12 km from Cork City which can be reached by car in 25 minutes...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Son of greyhound trainer Terry O'Leary and mother Sheila, Ciarán was one of three children. Much of Ciarán's childhood was spent accompanying his father anywhere from different "Point to Point" Horse track events, the Cork Greyhound Track, and to the various betting shops across County Cork, where the young Ciarán would often be found in the corner observing the various poker games at play.
Poker career
O'Leary arrived in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a young rounder
Card sharp
A card sharp is a person who uses skill and deception to win at poker or other card games...
in 1997 with $1,000 in his pocket. His first night stateside was spent in a poker game at a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
pub where he won $3,000. He then traveled cross country, via Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, ending up in San Francisco, where he quickly made his mark in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
poker scene, developing a winning reputation at Lucky Chances, taking down numerous titles. It was there that the moniker "Big C" was tagged in lieu of the constant mispronunciation of his name.
O'Leary's biggest win came at the 2007 World Series of Poker
2007 World Series of Poker
The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18...
when he won Event #3. The $1,500 No Limit Hold'em event attracted 2,998 participants, which at the time was the biggest live tournament in Poker history outside of the 2005 and 2006 Main Events, with the victory earning O'Leary his first bracelet and $727,012. The event was nationally televised on ESPN.
In 2008 O'Leary was selected to play on the Irish team in The Poker Nations Cup. He played in the final heat, composed of Rolande Dewolfe, Marcel Luske, Robert Williamson III, Benjamin Kang and William Thorsen. O'Leary finished second in the heat and Ireland would eventually end up finishing second to Great Britain.
In 2008 O'Leary joined paddypowerpoker.com
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is Ireland’s largest bookmaker. Offline it conducts business through a chain of licensed betting offices and by operating Ireland's largest telephone betting service. Online it offers sports betting, online poker, online bingo, online casino games and spread betting...
as the company's brand ambassador and sponsored professional. As such, he represents the poker room at large buy-in live events, in promotional work and by writing a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
on the company website.
World Series of Poker bracelets
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 2007 World Series of Poker The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18... |
$1,500 Event #3 No Limit Hold'em | $727,012 |