Ciaran O'Leary
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| Ciarán O'Leary | |
|---|---|
 Ciarán O'Leary after winning the $1,500 No-Limit Texas Hold'em event at the 2007 World Series of Poker |
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| Nickname(s) | Big C |
| Hometown | Carrigaline, Ireland |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 1 |
| Money finishes | 1 |
| Highest ITM main event finish |
None |
Ciarán O'Leary (pronounced KEER-AWN) (born October 27, 1973) is an Irish professional poker player who resides in Seattle, Washington, USA.
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[edit] Early life
O'Leary grew up in modest conditions in the single street village of Carrigaline, 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 the "Point to Point" Horse track, to the Cork Greyhound Track, 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.
[edit] Poker career
O'Leary arrived in the United States 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 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 went on to win more than 30 tournaments in California, Colorado, Nevada, and Washington State. In the 2007 World Series of Poker he won Event #3. The $1,500 No Limit Hold'em event attracted 2,998 participants, at the time the most ever in a live tournament outside of the 2005 and 2006 Main Events, with the victory earning O'Leary his first bracelet and $727,012.
[edit] World Series of Poker bracelets
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | $1,500 Event #3 No Limit Hold'em | $727,012 |
[edit] Personal life
O'Leary married Dana Langworthy, a legal recruiter, on November 24, 2001 in San Francisco and moved to Seattle in 2005. They have two sons, Aidan and Liam.
