John O’Shea

You could say there are two types of stars. The first blazes onto the horizon and consistently shines for all the world to see, competing with younger stars, and holding onto what made it unique in the first place. The second comes out of the blue, burning bright and wonderfully, but fading just as quick as it came. Both stars are eye-catching but there is one major difference between the two, and that is — legends are made from the first kind.

In poker, there are many stars. They became this way for various reasons; what they’ve done for the game, the fun they bring to the tables, their outspoken banter, success, or simple likeability. Names like Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, Phil Ivey, Phil Laak, and Gus Hansen can fit into all or any of the above categories.

A Star is Born?
The latest star or perhaps legend in the making hails from Ireland and is very well-known in Irish poker circles, but as far as the great outer reaches of the poker world are concerned, only those well in tune with the movers and shakers of the game would be familiar.

Those with their finger on the pulse will know the name John O’Shea. They would know he first appeared on the major international scene when he came fifth in the World Series of Poker $2,500 no-limit hold’em sixhanded event in 2008, he then took down a European Championship of Online Poker Omaha high-low split event, and continued by defending the same title and earn another in the ECOOP this year.

After a youth of playing poker with his family, and then in college, O’Shea made his way into a casino in Dublin city after a night out and won €200 playing Omaha, despite only knowing how to play Texas hold’em. O’Shea says, “When I won the €200 I taught, ‘Jesus if I am this good when I don’t know the rules, I will be awesome when I do!’” After this he opened an online account but wasn’t as “awesome” as he thought. “I lost the money very quickly, mainly because I was playing Omaha high/low when I thought I was playing high, and it took me a while to figure this out as I was clueless. I had gambled all my life and lost many times but I’ve a good record of getting back on the horse when I fall off, so I went back and played sit ‘n’ gos.”

Rolling in it
A few months later, O’Shea was a break-even player, quickly improving online and taking down local events. But at this stage, poker was just a hobby. In his final year in college, he decided to knuckle down and focus on his studies, giving poker a break, but soon he grew bored of having no money and decided to go back to make some. “It was just after Christmas in my final year in college. I was talking to Rees [Rory Rees Brennan], he turned $100 on PokerStars into $20,000 and was telling me about [Eoghan] O’Dea’s major success online. I went back online and he was giving me some help. It wasn’t long before I had spun my $100 into $5,000.” Rees, O’Dea, and O’Shea are all part of a stable of young thoroughbred poker players who are taking the poker world on with gusto, learning from each other, evolving, and becoming a team worthy of much respect.

O’Shea had many ups and downs in the beginning but this just made him even more determined, and as he studied for his masters degree, he persisted with poker.  “Back then I was crazy,” he says. “If I had $2,000 I was in a $10/$20 game. I remember playing in a $10/$20 game with [Chris] Moneymaker, and he doubled me up. Did I get out of the game then? Nah! I ran a $2,000 bluff. I had a lot of gamble then, but I was playing it for the buzz, not for my living. I just saw Rees turn $100 into $100,000 in four months. I was eager to catch up. We thought we were invincible. It felt like printing money. I had about $25,000 by Christmas, and by the time the Irish Open came at Easter I had $127,000.”

Taking Chances
Despite being quite the gambler and risk-taker, O’Shea was cautious and took a job at the very prestigious accountancy and business adviser firm, KPMG. “I decided to go into KPMG because I was having second thoughts after a big down swing. I still wanted to play full-time so I went in there to buy me more time. I was working for €25,000-odd a year, and in January 2008 I made $100,000. I knew I was leaving, I just had to get my parents onside.”

One night during the following month O’Shea took down a $50 and $100 rebuy on the same nite, equaling his yearly wage. He says, “The point is I was regulary winning or losing half to a full year’s wage in a nite. So I quit the job in late February, dropping the bomb at home. My Mum knew I hated it, my Dad wasn’t happy, but I was 23, it was my choice. From there, things went crazy poker-wise. I had a $65,000 week and was flying online, went to Vegas with a roll to give the WSOP a good spin, finished in fifth place in one event for $99,000, and then started talking with Boyles.”

Twinkle Twinkle
Winning such a big sum in a prestigious event had a great impact on O’Shea and his future game. “It’s a feeling I could never describe. It was unreal. One I desperately want to repeat. It gave me big belief, maybe I believed in my own hype for a bit, which caused me not to work on my game as hard as I should. I had a big down swing after actually, but I only view it as a stepping stone now, something very much in the past.”

In 2008, John O’Shea took down the ECOOP pot-limit Omaha high-low split event, and then reaffirmed his champion status the following year by successfully defending his title and taking home yet another $25,000 for first place. He then won the $400 + $30 buy-in ECOOP pot-limit Omaha event during the same week. If that isn’t something to give a poker player belief in himself, there is nothing that will. “The ECOOP was great, winning a tournament always gives you a massive boost, but I am eager to kick on from it and win a grade one prize,” says O’Shea.

But after defending his throne and warding off any try-hards, O’Shea is surprisingly down to earth and slightly blasé about keeping his title, “To be honest I couldn’t give a fuck. It’s a 400 person tourney. The chances of retaining it are small. If I do, great, but it’s not something I think about. I do put a big effort into the ECOOPs and will again for the next, but if I don’t win one, it won’t weigh on my mind.”

Shooting High
So, what does Mr. O’Shea think about then? “A bracelet! That’s my long-term goal,” he says, perking up. “I have started learning razz, seven-card stud, and seven-card stud high/low. Next year I will play all those events with low buy-ins coupled with the PLO and PLO high/low — smaller fields with less people knowing the games. I think for Phil Ivey’s seven bracelets he has beat something like 1,400 players in total. Also, I see these games getting more popular as people get bored of hold’em. They are just a lot easier to win bracelets in, simple maths, plus I prefer these games. I love the challenging of learning a new game.” When jokingly asked is he implying that Ivey isn’t that great, O’Shea dryly says, “Donk, in my opinion.”

Keeping it Real
With his own unique attitude and wit, O’Shea is not afraid to say what he thinks whether at the table, at the other end of a microphone, or in his blog at Boylepoker.com. His attitude could be summed up when he says, “Writing the blog keeps me honest , it stops me from doing stupid stuff. Boylepoker lets me write whatever I want. Most people in poker talk shite — my mom always caught me out when I lied when I was younger so I gave it up. She said it’s better just to be honest. Some people don’t like it, but by large I think people respect it.”

Although O’Shea can’t seem to go a day without having some kind of monetary interest in something, it is clear that he thinks ahead, and is quite sensible in how he goes about his business. His blog shows how he sets goals for the future, and then tries to improve himself and his game so he can reach them. “The goals are more a guideline, something I can bench mark myself against. I am ambitious with them, so I don’t lose too much sleep if I fail. Luckily so far I have always met them. The most important goal is always the profit goal, bottom line for any business. This has increased year-on-year. Others include learning a new game which I hope will ensure profitability in the future; and finally goals that will make me feel good such as final tabling or winning major events. If I don’t fulfill a goal, I look at why and what I need to do to change that.” 

Born to Play
The young Irishman performs like an athlete, treating poker like a sport, not only mentally preparing himself, but also physically. He believes preparation off the table is just as important as what you do on it, but although he likes to relax away from the hubbub of a poker room, his love for a good gamble or a calculated punt continues. “I have got  into sports betting and that has gone really well, and I do take on a few prop bets. I love competitiveness and money, so gambling is a great marriage for the two. I find it hard to do anything if I dont have some kind of bet on it.”

O’Shea’s personality and even mentality seems as if it was made for the game. When asked about how his life has changed, his answer is filled with poker and betting metaphors, “My opinion on life is that the best way to be happy is if you always make the best possible short-term decision that will deliver the most amount of happiness.” When talking about the future, it is glaringly obvious this young Irish lad means business. “My game is always changing. I am always trying to learn, and have always strived to evolve at a faster pace. I’d love to sit in Bobby’s room some day and pit myself againt the best, but for the next year or two my plan is to keep improving my game, becoming a 25-50 regular is the next step, and taking a few $100,000 scores would be nice.”

Half-Full
Although, O’Shea comes across as straight to the point and confident, his self-belief is not polluted by the repulsive stench of arrogance. His is a hopeful optimism mixed with an almost childish mischief, which you can’t help but warm to over time. “If you look at my success for my age I thinks it’s fair enough to say, yeah, I should go on to big things, but past success is no guarantee of future success. I think if I work hard, good things will happen, and I do work very hard on my game. The things I have achieved so far are not anything I would want to be remembered for. I would like to be remembered for becoming the first Irish person to win two bracelets; someone who played the big cash games in the world and won … something like “The Don” [Irish bracelet winner and cash game giant Donnacha O’Dea] — he’s my hero.”

John O’Shea will play at Europe’s largest poker tournament, the Boylepoker.com International Poker Open, this October in Dublin.