Patrick “pads1161” Leonard

Patrick Leonard, also known as “pads1161,” is a British professional poker player from Newcastle, England. Born on December 30th, 1988, Leonard has amassed just shy of $1 million in total live earnings, with his largest being $475,940.

In July 2024, Leonard secured a WSOP bracelet by winning the 55th WSOP event. Additionally, he has served as an ambassador for partypoker and created the “Pads on Pads” online course, where he imparts essential knowledge to aspiring MTT stars.

Beyond his success on the live poker circuit, Leonard has made a significant impact in online poker. He plays under various screen names, including pads1161, babu$hka, plenopads, pleno1, tiote22, and d1sclosure. His lifetime cashes exceed an impressive $20.4 million, with his largest online cash prize amounting to $1,611,342.

Patrick Leonard: Early Life

Patrick Leonard started playing poker as a teenager in Newcastle. At the age of 16, he joined a home game where his early hands were less than stellar. Determined to improve and not be outclassed, Patrick became obsessed with poker. He threw himself into studying the game, engaging in online forums, and seeking advice from successful players. His hard work and dedication paid off, and he gradually became one of the more successful players in his local home games.

Before diving into poker full-time, Patrick pursued a more traditional career path. He initially studied journalism but shifted to the finance industry after university. However, he soon realized that his passion for poker outweighed his interest in finance. He transitioned into a poker-related role but eventually decided to focus solely on playing poker when his earnings from the game surpassed his income from his poker-related job.

Patrick Leonard: Live Tournament Participation

Patrick Leonard achieved his first live cash in July 2011 by participating in a $550 No-Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Extravaganza III in Las Vegas. Leonard finished in 47th place and earned $1,174.

In July 2012, he secured his best live cash by winning a $10,000 + $400 Bellagio Cup XIII at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. He took first place and earned $475,940 in prize money.

Following this, in June 2022, Leonard, along with Espen Jørstad, won a WSOP bracelet by taking first place in a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Tag Team Event at the 53rd WSOP in Las Vegas, which earned him $74,042.

Most recently, in July 2024, he participated in the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Mid-Stakes Championship Bracelet Event at the 55th WSOP in Las Vegas, where he finished in 90th place and cashed $10,302.

pads1161 on Online Poker

Patrick “pads1161” Leonard competes under various online screen names, including pads1161, babu$hka, plenopads, pleno1, tiote22, and d1sclosure. With a lifetime total exceeding $20.4 million in cashes, his career is highlighted by a standout cash of $1,611,342.

Leonard finished in 22nd place in a $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em WSOP Online Bracelet Main Event in September 2022, earning $91,488. 

Earlier that year, in August 2022, he took 7th place in a $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack Championship Online Bracelet Event, also hosted by WSOP Online and GGPoker, with a payout of $47,405. 

In April 2020, Leonard placed 7th in a $10,000 + 300 No-Limit Hold’em Event #4 during the PokerGO‘s Masters Online series, collecting $40,800 in prize money.

Other Online Poker Achievements

• 2nd place WSOPC Ring Event #8: HR Championship $10M GTD in May 2020 ($1,611,342)
• 4th place Super MILLION$ Main Event $10,300, $5M GTD [Day 2] in May 2022 ($540,838)
• 5th place WCOOP-66-H: $25,000 NLHE [8-Max, High Roller], $3M Gtd in September 2017 ($275,473)
• 1st place Powerfest #46-H: $1M Gtd NLH in February 2018 ($207,978)

Conclusion

Patrick Leonard started his poker journey as a teenager in Newcastle and has since emerged as a prominent figure in the poker world. After shifting from a finance career to focus entirely on poker, he has accumulated over $20.4 million in online earnings and nearly $1 million in live tournament winnings. His impressive rise is marked by a WSOP bracelet and multiple major victories.