Answering Readers’ Questions

Since 2005, I have enjoyed playing professionally on the poker circuit and also covering the poker news from all over the world as a poker media personality. Over the past few years, I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts and experiences with the Card Player community. Many of you have sent me kind comments and feedback about my stories as well as questions directly for me. I thought I would take the time to answer some of these questions in this column.

1. Question: I envy professional players being able to travel all over the world to play poker. Having played in tournaments all over the world, can you tell me where is your favorite place to play?

Answer: To narrow down all the places I have played to just one is pretty difficult. Of course, I enjoy going to Las Vegas, especially playing in the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Additionally, I will always have a special place in my heart for Foxwoods Resort Casino since I won three titles there and was their spokesperson for a couple of years. However, the place that I look forward to going to every year is the Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure, held at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Not only is the poker action incredibly hot (including the main event which regularly has about 1,000 entrants and a first prize usually more than $2 million), but also the resort is wonderfully enjoyable for the entire family. It is actually the only event of the year that my family comes with me. Having attended seven times, I can honestly say it is the only event of the year where I do not dwell on my bustout because I can immediately enjoy the sun and sand, especially with my family.

2. Question: I enjoy listening to your weekly radio show (The Bernard Lee Poker Show), especially your incredible guests, whether they’re the old guard or the young guns of poker. Among all of these interviews, who was the one person you were most excited to interview? Also, of the young gun generation, whose interview impressed you the most?

Answer: I have been extremely fortunate to interview the top poker players in the world from WSOP champions to Hall of Famers to rising poker superstars. However, the player I was most excited to interview would definitely have to be “The Godfather of Poker,” Doyle Brunson. Although I had met him briefly before, I was extremely anxious to speak with this living legend. We had an unforgettable conversation about his life, books and career, which I will cherish forever.

As for the younger generation, I have spoken with numerous players about their rise through the poker ranks, their success (and failures) and their strategies. Many have provided incredible insights, but the player that was also very well spoken (and often sharply dressed) was WSOP bracelet winner, Max Steinberg. Many of you may remember him from his 2013 WSOP National Championship television time on ESPN where he finished runner-up to Jonathan Hilton. I initially met Steinberg a few days after he had won his first bracelet while we were both providing commentary for the WSOP live stream in the summer of 2012. Thoroughly impressed with his thought process and strategy insights, I decided to interview him for my radio show and have done so twice.

3. Question: You have such an amazing job, playing poker professionally, but also reporting poker for the media, like ESPN and Card Player. I’m sure that you have seen some incredible poker hands. In all the years that you have been around professional poker, what is the most amazing hand that you have ever witnessed?

Answer: Over the years, I have heard about some amazing poker hands. During the 2008 WSOP main event, many of you may remember a hand between Justin Phillips’ royal flush and Motoyuki Mabuchi’s quad aces. ESPN reported that the odds of this hand occurring were one in 2.7 billion hands.

As for me, the most incredible poker hand that I ever witnessed live was at the 2007 Foxwoods Poker Classic. During a preliminary event, the following hand occurred right next to the table where I was seated.

After a mid-position player limped, the button raised to 800. After the blinds folded, the original limper declared he was all-in. After a few moments, the button decided to call with his 8 8, but he was completely dominated by his opponent’s J J. It got much worse after the J J 9 flop. Incredibly, he flopped four of a kind.

Everyone assumed the hand was over, but the button still had a 0.2 percent chance of winning the hand. His only infinitesimal chance was to hit runner-runner for a straight flush. The dealer kept the button’s hopes alive with the 7 on the turn. With everyone surrounding the table, the dealer, unbelievably, flipped over the absolute perfect card — the 10. The entire table exploded in disbelief, as the straight flush had beaten the quad jacks.

4. Question: I have followed your career since your 13th-place finish in the 2005 WSOP main event. Congratulations on all your success at the poker tables. I have also enjoyed your work as a columnist, radio host and commentator. Of all the media activities that you have been a part of, what has been your favorite and why?

Answer: Besides playing poker professionally, I have also loved being part of the poker media. Activities such as hosting my radio show, covering the WSOP main event, writing numerous columns, and being the WSOP Circuit live stream host have all been great experiences, which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

However, the one activity that I definitely loved the most was being one of the hosts for ESPN Inside Deal. For those of you who don’t remember, from 2009-2011, ESPN.com produced a poker show in the vein of SportsCenter, NFL Live or Baseball Tonight. Every sports fan’s dream is to be behind the SportsCenter desk, and I lived that dream, week after week, for almost three years as the show’s poker analyst. I still vividly remember driving to Bristol, Connecticut and taping our first show with Chris Moneymaker on the set of College Gameday. ESPN Inside Deal was the absolute dream job and I loved working with my co-hosts, which included ESPN.com’s Andrew Feldman, Jon Anik and Laura Lane. I feel that the show ended way to soon, primarily due to Black Friday. I truly miss the show and I hope one day ESPN Inside Deal will make its way back on air. ♠

Bernard Lee is a poker columnist for ESPN.com, author of “The Final Table, Volume I and II” and radio host of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show,” which can be found on RoundersRadio.com or via podcast on iTunes. Lee has over $2 million in career earnings and is also a team member of RunGoodGear.com. Follow Bernard Lee on Twitter: @BernardLeePoker or visit him at www.BernardLeePoker.com.