Of the stories that emerged from EPT London last season few could match that of Leo McClean for sheer aspiration or fun.
If you remember, McClean started off as being known only as the young kid in the yellow hoodie who tended to grin a lot, or at least he did so when he wasn’t covering his face with part of his hood, seemingly terrified that he might give something away.
Leo McClean
McClean was playing his first EPT tournament, and not only that had earned his seat in a satellite, winning his way to London (a seat that usually costs £5,250) for the princely sum of £82. Days later he found himself at the final table, amid chandeliers and grandeur of the Connaught rooms, surrounded by the best in the business and competing for a first prize of more than half a million pounds.
He may not have got that, but McClean, a project manager with a passion for poker, did finish third, cheered every step of the way by his incredulous friends, collecting £249,850. It was enough to turn that grin into plain laughter.
It was quite literally a dream come true for McClean, who on the back of that result was able to make project management a thing of the past and turn pro, dedicating all his time to the game he loves.
An incredible story that was certainly fun to watch from a few feet away on the rail. And now you can see how that story unfolded for yourself on PokerStars.tv
Here McClean, ahead of the one year anniversary, looks back on that glorious week, and that final table which would change his life.
Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.
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