Steve O’Dwyer Wins Big as Online Poker Majors Heats Up

May 18th, 2020 | by Jason Reynolds

Big names and even bigger payouts are dominating the headlines right now as online poker sites embrace the current lockdown conditions.

Steve O’Dwyer is among the recent big winners as the season of online majors reaches fever pitch. (Image: Partypoker)

With live options limited, players have been taking advantage of the current spate of online majors.

Over the last few days, that’s allowed Steve O’Dwyer and a host of pros to battle for WSOP, WPT and SCOOP titles.

O’Dwyer Scoops Another Title

O’Dwyer is no stranger to winning online and live tournaments. His latest victory came courtesy of PokerStars’ Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP). The festival got underway on April 30 and the $25,000 high roller is one of its recent highlights.

Attracting 89 entries, the two-day event was like a who’s who of poker. By the time ten were left on My 14, O’Dwyer was facing an all-star line-up. From high-stakes cash game experts like Ben Sulsky to MTT masters such as Ole Schemion, the finale was stacked.

However, in the end, O’Dwyer came out on top. With the board showing 2♠7♣4♥7♠T♦, O’Dwyer won the final pot with K♠T♥ after Chun Lei Zhou made a hero call with A♠K♣.

As O’Dwyer was winning a SCOOP title, Patrik Leonard was going close in the WSOP Super Circuit Series High Roller. Event #10 of the festival on GGPoker commanded a $25,000 entry fee but that didn’t stop 505 entrants anteing up.

Online Poker Hotter than Ever

That interest pushed the prizepool to $12.3 million and meant the winner would take home more than $2 million. Leonard was among the top contenders at the May 18 final table but it would be Costa Rica’s 800-522-4700 who came away victorious.

The number-loving player held the chip lead for much of the finale and only ever looked in danger once. A spirited fight from Leonard heads-up almost clinched the title. However, in a final flurry, pocket kings were enough to earn 800-522-4700 a WSOP Circuit ring.

Rounding out the recent rush of action is the WPT Online Series. The $3,200 Championship event got underway on May 10 with Day 1A and welcomed just over 700 players. Day 1B followed on May 17 and matched that level of interest.

With two of the four starting flights complete, the WPT Online Championship is already close to breaching its $5 million guarantee. Leo Fernandez is among the top stacks heading into Day 2 but he’s position is by no means secure.

Max Silver, Luc Greenwood and Mike Watson, along with any pros that make it through Day 1C and 1D, are all still in the mix. The final day will play out on May 20 and yet another player will take home a major online title as the season of action reaches its climax.