Lee Nelson
Encyclopedia
Lee Nelson, M.D.
(born January 19, 1943) is a retired New Zealand
doctor
and now a professional poker
player, based in Nelson
. He was born in the United States
n poker tournament
circuit, having won two events at the 2005 Crown Australian Poker Championship
.
In April 2005, Nelson won the PartyPoker World Open in Maidstone, Kent, England
, winning the $400,000 first prize after defeating "Gentleman" Liam Flood
in the final heads-up confrontation. He also made the semi-finals of the VC Cup
that year whilst in England.
In January 2006, Nelson won the main event of the Crown Australian Poker Championship
, taking home A$1,295,800
As of 2008, Nelson's total live tournament winnings exceed $2,000,000.
He also represents PokerStars
as one of the poker professionals on their "Team PokerStars".
Nelson is also the co-author (with Blair Rodman
) of the poker strategy book Kill Phil: The Fast Track to Success in No-Limit Hold 'em Poker Tournaments (ISBN 0-929712-24-2), "Let's Play Poker" and a sequel to "Kill Phil", "Kill Everyone."
Nelson co-hosts Joker Poker
with Mike Goldman
on Network 10 in Australia and also co-hosts the New Zealand version on TV3
with Brooke Howard-Smith
. Nelson provides expert commentary and explanations of poker rules and strategy to viewers.
He just recently built and opened an exclusive, luxurious, oceanfront Wellness Retreat at the border of the pristine Abel Tasman National Park, near Nelson, New Zealand (www.splitappleretreat.com) that provides wellness programs for guests,including functional food (every ingredient is healthy and delicious), shiatsu massage, acupuncture, meditation,and exercise (especially walks, kayaking, and swimming with the seals in the NationalPark). Lee is the Retreat's Director and does optional personal wellness programs for guests. The Retreat is being submitted for the New Zealand Architectural Awards in 2010.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(born January 19, 1943) is a retired New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and now a professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player, based in Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
. He was born in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Poker
Nelson is a regular on the AustralasiaAustralasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
n poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
circuit, having won two events at the 2005 Crown Australian Poker Championship
Crown Australian Poker Championship
The Australian Poker Championship, commonly known as Aussie Millions, is a series of poker tournaments held at the Crown Casino, in Melbourne, Australia...
.
In April 2005, Nelson won the PartyPoker World Open in Maidstone, Kent, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, winning the $400,000 first prize after defeating "Gentleman" Liam Flood
Liam Flood
Liam Flood is an Irish bookmaker and professional poker player who is a former European poker champion.-Poker career:Flood began playing poker tournaments in the 1980s in Ireland. He won the Irish Poker Open in 1990 and 1996, becoming one of only four players to have won that tournament multiple...
in the final heads-up confrontation. He also made the semi-finals of the VC Cup
Victor Chandler Poker Cup
The Victor Chandler Poker Cup was a poker tournament held in 2004 and 2005 in England for broadcast on Sky Sports....
that year whilst in England.
In January 2006, Nelson won the main event of the Crown Australian Poker Championship
Crown Australian Poker Championship
The Australian Poker Championship, commonly known as Aussie Millions, is a series of poker tournaments held at the Crown Casino, in Melbourne, Australia...
, taking home A$1,295,800
As of 2008, Nelson's total live tournament winnings exceed $2,000,000.
He also represents PokerStars
PokerStars
PokerStars is the largest online poker cardroom in the world. PokerStars' satellite tournaments produced the 2003 World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker. 1983 champion Tom McEvoy, 2005 champion Joe Hachem, 2009 champion Joe Cada and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel and others also represent...
as one of the poker professionals on their "Team PokerStars".
Nelson is also the co-author (with Blair Rodman
Blair Rodman
Blair Rodman is an American professional poker player, based in Las Vegas, Nevada.Rodman has been playing poker professionally since 1985, when he quit his job dealing craps....
) of the poker strategy book Kill Phil: The Fast Track to Success in No-Limit Hold 'em Poker Tournaments (ISBN 0-929712-24-2), "Let's Play Poker" and a sequel to "Kill Phil", "Kill Everyone."
Nelson co-hosts Joker Poker
Joker Poker
Joker Poker was a late night Australian poker program on Network Ten which aired in 2005 and 2006. Series one was hosted by Adam Spencer, with series two hosted by Mike Goldman. Both series were co-hosted by New Zealand poker pro Lee Nelson and Australian model Laura Weston acted as hostess...
with Mike Goldman
Mike Goldman
Mike Goldman is an Australian television and radio host, probably best known for his various roles in Big Brother Australia series.-Television:...
on Network 10 in Australia and also co-hosts the New Zealand version on TV3
TV3 (New Zealand)
TV3 is a New Zealand commercial television network, owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Launched on 26 November 1989, the first private television network in New Zealand...
with Brooke Howard-Smith
Brooke Howard-Smith
Brooke Howard-Smith is a New Zealand broadcaster. He is currently married to Amber Peebles who is a former Miss New Zealand and presents for MTV.Brooke owned a bar in Auckland, New Zealand called The Pony Club...
. Nelson provides expert commentary and explanations of poker rules and strategy to viewers.
Other pursuits
Lee's areas of medical interest are nutrition and wellness and longevity medicine. Lee is also recognized for his book on prostate cancer: Prostate Cancer Prevention and Cure.He just recently built and opened an exclusive, luxurious, oceanfront Wellness Retreat at the border of the pristine Abel Tasman National Park, near Nelson, New Zealand (www.splitappleretreat.com) that provides wellness programs for guests,including functional food (every ingredient is healthy and delicious), shiatsu massage, acupuncture, meditation,and exercise (especially walks, kayaking, and swimming with the seals in the NationalPark). Lee is the Retreat's Director and does optional personal wellness programs for guests. The Retreat is being submitted for the New Zealand Architectural Awards in 2010.