Top Irish Poker Players: Andy Black, Marty Smith, and Donnacha O'Dea

Ireland, known for its rich poker history, has produced some of the world's top poker players. Three standout players from the Emerald Isle are Andy Black, Marty Smith, and Donnacha O'Dea.

Andy Black, a Belfast native, made a name for himself in 2005 when he finished fifth in the World Series of Poker. Going into the final table, Black held more than one third of the chips in play. This near miss, broadcasted to a huge audience on ESPN, helped launch his career. Black was quickly given a big sponsorship deal, allowing him to travel the world and play in prestigious tournaments. He has since won titles including the Premier League Poker tournament, Pot Limit Omaha at the Irish Open, and the Amateur Championship of Poker. Known as the Monk, Black spent five years living in a Buddhist environment.

Marty Smith is another notable Irish poker player. He has won the Irish Open, Poker Million, one World Open trophy, and one World Series of Poker Championship. With close to $4 million in winnings, Smith has accumulated a lot of cash from a small number of competitions. His big wins include several six-figure victories. Smith also loves to bet on sports, so he has not played a lot of poker in the last few years.

Donnacha O'Dea is one of Ireland's most famous poker players. He won the World Series of Poker in 1998, beating Johnny Chan to land a pot limit Omaha bracelet. O'Dea is also known for his athletic prowess, having swum for Ireland at the Olympics in 1968 and becoming the first man from Ireland to swim 100m in less than 60 seconds. His mother, Siobhán McKenna, is a famous actress. In 2004, O'Dea won the Poker Million, earning $350,000. Poker talent runs in his family, as his son, Eoghan O'Dea, is also a very good player. Donnacha and Eoghan are the first father and son pair to make a World Series of Poker final table. Eoghan earned $1.7 million from finishing sixth in that competition in 2011.