Interview: Steve O’Dwyer and Rui Cao share their poker journey

The Triton Super High Roller Series attracts a lot of attention for its huge prizes and star names, but it is also becoming synonymous with interesting interviews.

Players who normally shun the spotlight and rarely give interviews have developed a habit of sitting down to talk to Paul Phua Poker at Triton events lately. Andrew Robl gave a rare interview not long ago, and now the equally elusive Steve O’Dwyer has taken a seat in front of the camera. His interview is one of the two to be uploaded, with Rui Cao also sharing his thoughts in the second interview.

Steve O’Dwyer

Not everyone who reached high stakes super stardom comes up in the exact same way, and in a world of teenage phenoms rocketing through the ranks online, O’Dwyer has perhaps taken a more unconventional path. Having initially pursued poker as a hobby while working as a poker journalist, he gradually improved his game and built a network of friends before scaling the heights of the high-stakes world. O’Dwyer has almost $27 million in live cashes and has won some of the most of coveted high-stakes tournaments on the circuit in recent years. In this interview he discusses growing up, what keeps him motivated in poker, friendships he has made and much more.

Rui Cao

Rui Cao has spent the best part of ten years sharpening his skills at the poker table, having learned his craft under the screen name ‘PepperoniF’ on PokerStars. He quickly became a Pot Limit Omaha specialist and while his career profits online may not be as large as some, he has played against some of the best PLO players online along the way. During this interview Cao talks about family, video coaching, what makes poker so special and other subjects.

Article by Craig Bradshaw