Born in Liechtenstein, a small country with approximately 35 thousand citizens, Markus Lehmann often jokes about being the best and most famous poker player from his country – and so far he seems to be right.
Markus Lehmann has always been a competitive man and gamer, and as a teenager he used to play (and win) many chess and backgammon games and tournaments. Over the years, as he became aware to the world of poker, Markus Lehmann started to develop a career as a professional poker player, and his favorite games were 5 Card Stud and Draw Poker. Between the years 1979 and 1986 Markus Lehmann played poker for a living, but in 1986 he took a different career course and became a businessman. As he focused on his new job, poker went back to being a hobby for Markus Lehmann. In 1991 he'd already become one of Herbalife's top distributors, and in 1997 he earned a place in the Chairman's Club. So far, so good, but one can't escape his heart desired forever, and the poker world continue calling Markus Lehmann to come home.
Only in 1999, after 13 years of developing a career in the business world, did Markus Lehmann return to the world of professional poker. He owes that decision to the television broadcasts of Texas Hold'em tournaments. As a result, Mark Lehmann learned how to play the Hold'em game by watching broadcasts, reading books and tips and whatever he could get his hands on. Three years later, in 2002, he already became a serial winner in Texas Hold'em tournaments around the USA.
After succeeding in the USA poker tournaments, Markus Lehmann decided it was time to go back and conquer the poker rings of his home continent, Europe. In February 2005 he won first and second place in No Limit Hold'em tournaments of the Bregenz Open. A few months later Markus Lehmann made an appearance in the 36th annual WSOP, but only got the 60th place in the WSOP No Limit Hold'em event.
The next two years brought Markus Lehmann success in relatively small tournaments and ring games, and he only participated in a few major live tournaments, without crossing the 10th place barrier. On August 30th, though, things changed as Markus Lehmann won the 1st place in the No Limit Hold'em tournament of the 2007 Bodensee Poler Championship, and took home $49,541. In the six months following his winning he took the 1st place in two more major tournaments: the WPT Spanish Championship in No Limit Hold'em, and the CAPT Bregenz Open No Limit Hold'em main event. In addition to all that, he also plays online poker in Full Tilt Poker and is considered one of the house players there.
When he doesn't play poker, Markus Lehmann enjoys golfing and skiing with his son and fiancée. He also collects wine, and has an extensive collection of fine wine. He likes to move regularly between his residences in Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Italy.
Markus Lehmann - Quick Facts
Cashes: 12
Total Winnings: $956,253
First Place Finishes: 3
WSOP bracelets: 0