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WAYLAND -- Luck, cards and a
good poker face probably helped Bernard Lee win $400,000 playing no
limit Texas Holdem -- but he admitted the most important part was an
understanding wife's support.
"To be
honest, first and foremost, I thank my wife for letting me live my
dream," said Lee. "Without her, I'm not here."
Lee, 35,
hit paydirt after he placed 13th overall at the World Series of
Poker in Las Vegas, where 5,619 competitors from over 40 countries
played for a month for a top prize of $7.5 million.
Though an
Australian man walked away with the big score, Lee described himself
as "ecstatic" after winning $400,000.
A senior
marketing manager at Boston Scientific in Natick, Lee said his game
plan was to keep enough chips so he would make it through each day
of play.
"My logic
is, 'Who cares about the money?'" said Lee, who holds a degree in
biology from Harvard University and a master's degree in marketing
from Babson College.
"My focus
was to get through every day," he said.
Texas
Holdem Poker's appeal is the strategy behind the cards -- which
makes for an exciting game.
"I love
cards," he said. "I would stay up all night playing hearts for not a
nickel."
The sport
is going to take off, he explained, because major competitions are
now held at least once a month. Plus, there's a democratic appeal to
the game.
"There are
few places where you can step onto the field and play with a
professional," said Lee.
Professional poker is not in the cards for Lee.
"I work for
a living," he said.
His
$400,000 will be put towards a college fund for his son Noah, 2, and
daughter Maya, 2 months.
There
should be some left over for himself and his wife Katie, a
physician, he said.
Besides
poker, Lee, a Celtics season-ticket holder, enjoys golf.
Lee is also
something of a legend among his poker buddies, who have gathered for
the last six years for Loker Poker -- named in honor of a nearby
elementary school.
Charlie
Tillett, a fellow Waylander and Loker Texas Holdem Poker player,
said it is "incredible" Lee made it so far into the World Series of
Poker. He describes Lee as a "sweet guy" who has "a lot of
horsepower upstairs." |
