Harry Demetriou, an English professional poker player, was originally named Charidimos (Harry) Demetriou. Harry Demetriou, well-known in the poker circuit by his nickname “The Wise Owl”, was born on 20th August, 1958 in London. He is a retired clinical scientist, who worked in the Biochemistry Department of Pathology within hospitals in the United Kingdom, and he has also ventured into the stock market.
Harry Demetriou entered the poker world in 2002, when he competed in Event #4 - No-Limit Hold'em of the 33rd Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Binion's Gambling hall. He outlasted 449 entrants to finish third and took home prize money worth $80,200. In 2003, Harry Demetriou made two impressive finishes in the Crown Australasian Poker Championship. He participated in the Heads Up – No-Limit Hold'em event, finished second and walked away with $24,299 in cash prize. Then, in the Main Event – No-Limit Hold'em, his third-place finish earned him handsome prize money worth $94,236. In the same year, Harry Demetriou also appeared in the World Heads-Up Poker Championship and Poker Million. He won the inaugural $5,000 Main Event of the Victor Poker Cup, in which he finished in first place and a prize worth $ 250,000, was added to his bankroll. He cashed in at the World Championship – No-Limit Hold'em event of the 35th Annual World Series of Poker in 2004 to take home prize money worth $147,500.
The year 2005 turned out to be an eventful year for “the Wise Owl”, when he entered the 36th Annual World Series of Poker in 2005. He took part in Event #6 - No-Limit Hold'em and outlasted a total of 548 entrants and played heads-up against Isaac Galazan, a poker pro from Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. For his incredible second-place finish at the final table, Harry Demetriou won cash prize worth $163,850. In the same series, he also participated in Event #9 – No-Limit Hold'em and prize money worth $123,915 was added to his poker accounts. Later in the same year, he made it to the final table in the No-Limit Hold'em event of the Five-Star World Poker Classic – World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship Season 3. After a mind-blowing heads-up play against Mark Boudewijn of Netherland, he finished in second place and collected cash prize worth $118,240.
In 2006, Harry Demetriou entered the Mirage Poker Showdown/WPT Event Season 5. He cashed in the WPT No-Limit Hold'em Championship by finishing second and taking home $673,272 in prize money. He entered the 37th Annual World Series of Poker in 2006 and participated in Event #21 – No-Limit Hold'em Short Handed. The event had 740 participants, and Harry Demetriou made a commendable sixth-place finish, for which he pocketed $58,719 in prize money.
In March 2007, Harry Demetriou entered the Wynn Classic tournament that was held at Wynn Las Vegas and participated in the No-Limit Hold’em event. He outlasted 165 entrants and made an impressive third-place finish to walk away with $32,010 in cash prize. His professional and disciplined approach to poker has led Harry Demetriou along the path of success. As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $2,100,000 with 27 cashes.