Poker News Daily: How did you get started in poker?
Lee: I started off playing with my dad. He loved to play poker. When I was young, my dad, uncles, and some of their friends played poker during the holidays. Sometimes they got animated when they played. I was a young kid, so they would send us upstairs to go to bed and then they’d play.
I didn’t go to bed. I sat at the top of the stairs listening to them yell back and forth. For better or worse, I thought that was cool. It was camaraderie among older men. I asked my dad to teach me the game and have been playing poker pretty regularly ever since. We have had a weekly game ever since I went to college, which was 20 years ago.
With regards to tournament poker, I have a little different story than most. I don’t think the movie “Rounders” got me going. I was already playing poker when it came out. Hold’em wasn’t a big game until Chris Moneymaker came along. For me, the 2002 WSOP got me interested. ESPN televised it without hole card cameras and it was the year that Robert Varkonyi won. Russell Rosenblum was eliminated and then talked to Gabe Kaplan, who was providing commentary.
In one hand, Rosenblum said someone had K-J. When the cards were revealed, that player showed K-J and I was dumbfounded. The cards were hidden. I was used to playing Stud and with four cards face up it’s easy to figure out what other people have. With nothing showing, how could he possibly know? At that moment, I devoted my time to paying attention to poker and learning the game of Hold’em. When Chris Moneymaker won, that piqued my interest in tournaments.
PND: You’re a renowned poker journalist and media personality. What’s been the most challenging aspect of talking about poker?
Lee: I would say that the most challenging aspect is when someone who I don’t believe has much experience says something that I don’t think is correct or is overly critical. It’s something that I’ve gotten used to. That’s the life we lead. At the beginning, it was tough to accept.
I really enjoy what I do. It’s been a lot of fun writing for the Boston Herald, ESPN, and other websites. It’s been a joy. I love teaching. I also have a radio show, write books, and provide commentary for the WSOP. Those are what I consider to be my paying job. The way my wife and I look at it, if I can pay bills with that money, anything I make on tour is a bonus.
PND: You’re a poker instructor as well, most notably for the WPT Boot Camp. Talk about what students can expect when they learn from Bernard Lee.
Lee: I teach a very tight aggressive style. I play a lot tighter than most players, especially in the beginning. What I try to teach my students is to head into any tournament thinking about a strategy for that day. Many students just hope they get good hands. That’s not what the pros are thinking about. We’re thinking about who we can steal blinds from and who we can we make a move on. You have to pay attention to those things from the first level on. I’m preparing myself in the first, second, and third levels to be there at the end of the day. I don’t think most players do that at all. For most people, level one is about surviving. I’m already looking at what I’m going to do later on.
PND: After so much success, are there any areas of your game that still need work?
Lee: I would say that there are a ton of things that are lacking. I am the truest student of the game there can be. I have a notebook for every tournament I have played on tour. Each notebook has every single hand I’ve played. I go over these to look at all the mistakes and good moves I’ve made. I warm up for tournaments by looking them over. I take notes constantly.
PND: Tell us about your upcoming book. When can readers expect it to be released?
Lee: I’ve been a Boston Herald writer since 2005. My column describes a hand that I played on tour or someone else played. I’d write about a hand and then the guest involved in it would be on my radio show the next week.
It became a popular column. I had a lot of people come up to me and ask me if I had the old ones. I heard that 100 times and ended up putting together a book of them. The book has my original column on the right and my notes on the left. The column is called “The Final Table.” I put all of my 2005 and 2006 hands in Volume 1. Volume 2 will be all of the 2007 and 2008 hands. We’re trying to get that out by the end of 2008.
