Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee is now a spokesperson for Foxwoods, casino officials announced on Tuesday. Foxwoods has purportedly become the first casino to sponsor a poker pro.
Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprises President Michael Speller commented in a press release distributed by Foxwoods, “We’re thrilled to add Bernard Lee to the Foxwoods team. Bernard is such a compelling figure on the poker landscape and we’re certain that his expertise and talent will bring even more excitement and energy to the poker experience at Foxwoods.” Lee has been a loyal patron of Foxwoods ever since the casino opened its doors 18 years ago.
To say that Lee has dominated the Foxwoods tournament poker scene would be an understatement. He claimed titles at the East Coast casino in back-to-back-to-back years from 2006 to 2008. He began his “three peat” in 2006, winning a $4,800 No Limit Hold’em event during the World Poker Finals for $368,000. Heads-up, Lee defeated one of the legendary names in the world of poker, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, and a top 10 that also featured James Van Alstyne, UB.com pro Michael Binger, Chris Bjorin, and “Survivor: China” castaway Jean-Robert Bellande.
In 2007, Lee took down a $1,850 No Limit Hold’em event at Foxwoods for $239,000, outlasting a field of 406 players. In 2008, it was the same story, as the East Coast media personality came out on top of the pack in a $530 No Limit Hold’em Shootout for $22,000. Back in 2005, Lee cruised to a 13th place finish in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, pocketing $400,000; eventual winner Joe Hachem pulled down $7.5 million.
In the last three years, according to Foxwoods officials, Lee has hauled in $1.35 million and three titles in tournaments around the world. He’s a staple of the New England area, owning degrees from Harvard University and Babsen College. Prior to hopping over to the poker scene, Lee worked as a Senior Marketing and New Business Development Manager at a Fortune 500 company. Lee explained in the same press release why signing with Foxwoods was a no-brainer: “If there is such a thing as home-court advantage in poker, for me it’s at Foxwoods. I’m proud and humbled that Foxwoods would choose me to be their official spokesperson among the millions of poker players in the world.”
Lee has made his mark in the live media world. He serves as a co-host of the ESPN poker franchise “Inside Deal,” which emanates from Bristol, Connecticut, and authors a recurring column for the Boston Herald newspaper. Lee hosts the “Bernard Lee Poker Show” on the radio airwaves in Boston; accordingly, the series is now presented by Foxwoods. Poker fans can catch Lee on 1120 AM in the Boston area or tune in online at RoundersRadio.com.
Lee is an instructor for the WSOP Academy and a commentator for the WSOP and New England’s Eastern Poker Tour. According to Lee’s publicist, Tuesday’s story has garnered a considerable amount of interest from the Boston Herald, which published an article on its website about the poker player’s signing. Additionally, local papers near where Lee lives are also rumored to be penning stories. At the time of writing, neither CardPlayer nor Bluff had posted pieces relating to Lee’s signing, while All-In Magazine had.
Foxwoods offers the only World Poker Tour (WPT) branded poker room in New England. Last November, 353 players descended upon the rural casino for the annual World Poker Finals. In the end, CardPlayer Player of the Year finalist Cornel Andrew Cimpan bested Soheil Shamseddin in a tough final table that also included Lock Poker pro Matt “All In At 420” Stout, Eric “EFro” Froehlich. Curt Kohlberg, and Victory Poker pro Lee Markholt.
Congratulations from all of us here at Poker News Daily to Lee for signing with Foxwoods.
Michael Mizrachi was once sponsored by Planet Hollywood, meaning Foxwoods is not the first casino to sponsor a poker pro.