For reasons that make him who and where he is today, Doug Lee is probably one the most well known Canadian poker players out there. However, few have had to endure having their game and personality being dissected on the level that he has; though only slightly more have had the career winnings and titles that Lee has already amassed.
Doug got his poker beginnings in Calgary Alberta, where he still plays when in town, but spends most of his time playing and running his business in Las Vegas. Currently around the top 40 players on the “Canadian All-Time Tournament Money lists”, Lee has made himself one of the most recognized names in the Vegas poker community; very well known for his table talk and love of the limelight, like many other “vocal players” you either “love him or hate him”.
Not unlike “names” like Hellmuth, Scotty Nguyen or “The Mouth”, he has a little fun at the tables and in front of the cameras and while he might not have quite as many “accomplishments”, he has already won a World Series of Poker Circuit Event and Title, not something that is easy to do or a feat that many can claim to have matched; to add a little more merit, he did win it at the RIO, along with a nearly $700,000 first place prize.
Take it or leave it, he’s one of those players that keeps people on their toes and never knowing what next to expect. Many that have actually met and played with Doug, including some very well known and respected players, will vouch that in real life, he is an all around nice guy. Others however, usually those that can’t take a bit of prying, needling and table talk might find themselves paying more attention to Doug then their own game; entertaining outbursts, vibrant emotions and an out-going personality are part of the deal if your playing at Lee’s table.
When it comes to career tournament winnings, Doug Lee is already a poker made millionaire and definetly not a “one hit wonder”; after his WSOP circuit win in ’05, he followed up with an 8th place finish in the World Series of Poker $2000 Pot Limit Event. Doug also went on to his second WSOP $10,000 Circuit Event final table in ’05, finishing 8th at the Paris/Bally’s Championship. Then again in 2008, Doug found himself another WSOPC final table, this time a 9th place finish in the $5000 Championship.
Lee is also well known for “owning” the Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza Events and more recently (over 2009) he was a series points champion with 1st and 2nd place finishes in the $1000 and $2500 events, fetching him a combined $140,000 in winnings. Doug visited the cash cage 7 times over the 2010 Venetian Deepstack events; nearly half of those in the money finishes at the final tables of some very large starting fields.
Doug then went on to finish up 2010 with a first place finish at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Classic in a $1000 event, taking the win but in a kind gesture, giving his opponent the trophy, having already collected a few showpieces of his own. Lee then ended up with a respectable 17th place finish in the $10,000 No Limit Championship over the same series.
So far in 2011, Doug has already placed 1st in a couple more Venetian events, winning a $550 early in the year for over $27,000, then repeating again in April. At the 2011 World Series of Poker and at the time of this article, Lee is currently onto Day 3 of the $10,000 No Limit Championship, having had one of the top Canadian player chip counts through each day and outlasting many of the mainstream names.
If he does go “all the way”, or most of it at least, expect Lee to “do the Dougie”. We have no idea what that entails yet, so it should be interesting at the very least…
