The always brash and outspoken Padraig Parkinson has been a fan favorite ever since his third-place finish in the 1999 WSOP main event, where he lost to fellow Irishman Noel Furlong. Known for never pulling any punches, the hilarious Parkinson started playing the game when he was just 11 years old. Nicknamed "The Cantona," after a famous soccer player who is also "likely to do something brilliant or stupid" in any given moment, he won the Late Night Poker: Series 5 tournament.

He currently writes for Card Player Poker + Sports magazine in a section titled Paddy's Corner. Parkinson lives in Paris, France, with his wife Veronique and sticks to the European Poker Tour, although he usually makes the trip to the states for big WSOP and WPT events.