Recently, millions of people who follow televised poker have come to know something that up until now only other pro poker players realized, Lee Watkinson, with his calm demeanor and calculated aggressive style, is one of the last players you would ever want to face at a poker table.
 
Watkinson, who over the previous 12 years played only cash games, burst onto the tournament scene in 2004 with a string of ever-so-close and heartbreaking 2^nd place finishes, including the now legendary showdown with Doyle Brunson in the highest rated and most exciting WPT championship event. Then in 2007 an impressive but heartbreaking 8^th place finish in the Main Event of the WSOP made him a household name among poker players.

Over the last 4 years Watkinson has amassed winnings approaching $4,000,000, consistently finishing in the top tier of the most prestigious and highly contested tournaments in the world.

Lee is the all-time leading money winner in tournament Pot-limit Omaha. Capturing the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot-Limit Omaha Gold Bracelet at the 2006 World Series of Poker and was runner-up in the 2004 World championship event.  Recently Lee captured the title at the 2008 Aussie Millions Omaha Championship.

Being the eldest son of a Cartographer Lee lived in many small towns across the Western United States as a child and spent most his time searching for the best fishing holes on the rivers and streams that were usually within walking distance.

Watkinson attributes much of the fierce competitiveness and steely confidence he exudes at the poker tables to his background as a collegiate and international wrestler at Eastern Washington University where he earned a degree in Economics.

Discovering poker while working a summer job in Reno after his senior year Watkinson decided to use poker to try and stretch a $600 bankroll into little hiatus before going back to graduate school. This hiatus has now spanned 15 yrs.
Despite some lean times in the early going that saw him playing poker all night with wealthy patrons of Caesars Palace in Lake Tahoe by night while camping out in the woods and bathing in the lake by day, to conserve and build his bankroll, Lee has lived the poker players dream life. When not living in Vegas, Lee spent the majority of the time living on the Beaches of Southern California where he has become an avid surfer.

Currently Lee is putting the money and experience he has gained from his poker career to work for him as he seeks to become a player in a couple of new games. Lee has taken a seat at the music game partnering up with Grammy Award winning record producer David Kershenbaum to start Rebel Yell Records and is playing the fashion game as CEO of Hard Core Elegance, a rock n roll jewelry Co.

Lee and his fiancé, Timmi, are also very involved in The Cortland Brandenburg Foundation which rescues and helps provide humane living conditions for Chimpanzees retired from Hollywood, Research ect.