Achievements:
- Former Irish Olympic champion in the 200-meter Butterfly swim
- 5th place at 24th Annual WSOP, Event #16 Pot Limit Omaha
- 2nd in 1983 Annual World Series of Poker, Event #10 Limit Hold'em
- 6th place in 1983 Event #14 - WSOP - No Limit Hold'em
- Winner at the 1998 Annual Event #5 - WSOP Pot Limit Omaha
- 1st place at 2004 Poker Million - The Masters II, No Limit Hold'em
Before becoming a professional poker player, Donnacha O'Dea was a keen swimmer. He in fact has represented Ireland in the 1968 Olympics. His mother Siobhan McKenna was a stage and screen actress. He was also been a bookmaker in Ireland and used to do lot of sports betting, particularly on golf and tennis.
When he was at college, he used to play a lot of poker. He did a business degree from Trinity in Dublin, but like he said, he spent most of the time on poker. He was also undergoing extensive training on swimming at the same time, and as such, was left with very little time for the academics. He really felt great representing the country and felt that he was lucky enough to do it at the highest level for my sport.
Poker Career:
Donnacha O'Dea started playing poker when he was a kid, and later started playing regularly when he entered college. Finally, he realized that he could win some money by playing poker, and started playing in Ireland, England, other European countries and finally at Las Vegas.
Donnacha’s first appearance was in the Late Night Poker Television Series, where he finished at No.5. He also made to the final table of the 1983 World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing 6th. He was the winner at the 2004 Poker Million tournament, beating Dave "The Devilfish" Ulliott in the final heads-up battle. And finished No.5 at the same tournament the following year. He was also incidentally the first member of the European Poker Players Hall of Fame. |
