Steve O'Dwyer

Steve O'Dwyer was born on April 6, 1982, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He first became interested in poker after watching Chris Moneymaker win the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP). O'Dwyer graduated from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. He briefly worked in broadcasting before turning to poker professionally.

O'Dwyer's poker journey began during his college years when he wandered into a Thursday night $5 home game on campus. He started grinding online freerolls and micro-stakes games in 2004, initially on Full Tilt. His first live tournament cash came at age 25, and he attended his first WSOP in 2007, where he cashed four times for $70,000. The 2011 Black Friday crackdown on online poker hit O'Dwyer hard — he slept on Scott Seiver's floor during the 2011 WSOP and borrowed money for food.

O'Dwyer has been a force on the European Poker Tour (EPT), accumulating seven EPT titles and 54 EPT final tables. His crowning achievement came in May 2013 when he won the EPT Grand Final Main Event in Monte Carlo for €1,224,000 ($1,604,972). This victory put him on the map as one of the game's elite. He followed up with consistent results across multiple EPT stops, including deep runs in Barcelona, Prague, and Monte Carlo. As of June 2025, he has 92 EPT money finishes.

O'Dwyer's career is defined by victories in high-stakes events. In November 2014, he won the Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP) Super High Roller in Macau for $1,811,638. Just months later, in January 2015, he captured the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) $100,000 Super High Roller for $1,872,580 — his largest cash at the time. He also finished second in the 2017 ACOP Super High Roller for $1,520,565. In May 2024, he placed third in the Triton Poker Series Montenegro $200,000 Super High Roller for $2,157,000, his career-best score. Other notable results include winning the PCA $50,000 High Roller in January 2018 ($769,500) and the SCOOP High Roller in May 2020 ($521,598). O'Dwyer has eight seven-figure scores in total.

Despite his immense success, O'Dwyer has never won a WSOP bracelet. He has 18 WSOP money finishes and four final tables, with his best Main Event finish being 295th in 2007. He often skips the WSOP to focus on online play and other events, which explains the lack of a bracelet. On the World Poker Tour (WPT), he has three final tables and 13 money finishes but no title. His global reach includes cashes in the United States, Greece, Denmark, Monaco, Macau, Bahamas, Finland, Malta, Czech Republic, Australia, Georgia, Cyprus, Panama, England, Netherlands, Montenegro, Ireland, and Spain.

O'Dwyer is known for a balanced, theoretical approach with precise post-flop decisions and careful bet sizing. He adapts his strategy based on opponents and stack depths, combining aggression with patience. His style emphasizes range construction and exploiting positional advantages, making him a formidable opponent in deep-stacked high rollers. Often described as analytical and quiet at the table, he has earned the nickname "the invisible man of poker." Online, he plays under the screen names "Mr. Tim Caum" on PokerStars and "eet_smakelijk" on partypoker.

O'Dwyer resides in Dublin, Ireland, and is close friends with fellow pros Scott Seiver and Isaac Haxton. He sits atop Colorado's all-time poker money list according to The Hendon Mob. Despite his wealth, he maintains a low profile. In November 2024, he bought into a €5 No-Limit Hold'em tournament at the Dublin City University Poker Society and won, outlasting 99 opponents. His total live tournament earnings exceed $47 million, placing him among the top 15 all-time money winners. He has won tournaments on every continent and continues to be a regular in the biggest buy-in live events globally.

O'Dwyer remains active on the high roller circuit. In 2024, he cashed in multiple EPT events, including a win in the €12,300 Cuatro Knockout at EPT Barcelona for €163,720 and a second-place in the €12,300 Cuatro Knockout at EPT Prague for €32,525. He also made the final table of the €50,000 Super High Roller Second Chance at EPT Barcelona. In 2025, he cashed in the EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event (173rd, €8,500) and the Irish Open Main Event (50th, €9,500). He continues to compete in Triton events, such as the $100,000 NLHE Main Event in Jeju, where he finished 37th for $182,000.

Steve O'Dwyer has achieved several notable milestones. As of June 2025, his total live tournament earnings exceed $47 million, placing him 14th on the all-time money list and 10th among United States players according to The Hendon Mob. He reached the $46 million milestone in early 2025. His largest single cash remains $2,157,000 for third place in the 2024 Triton Montenegro $200,000 Super High Roller. O'Dwyer holds seven EPT titles and 92 EPT money finishes, and he has cashed in 273 different tournaments over his career.

Below is a summary of Steve O'Dwyer's five largest live tournament cashes, based on PokerNews data:

These results highlight his consistent success in high-stakes events across multiple continents.