Richard Lee was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His best performance in his days as an amateur poker player was in 2005, when he won 12th place in the 2005 Grand Slam Poker in Los Angeles. He made his big break in the 2006 WSOP, when he took the 6th place and earned $2,803,851. Surprisingly enough, that was the first major cash winning in a poker tournament for Richard Lee.
Residing in San Antonio, Texas, Richard Lee is semi-retired from the jewelry business. He is married and has three grown children, with whom he spends most of his time when he's not playing poker. He is also considered a patriot to his state: When asked what he wishes people to know about him, Richard Lee was quoted saying "I love my family, my country and San Antonio". He loves his hometown and can often be seen wearing a shirt with San Antonio's name on it. The rumor has it that in the 2006 WSOP finals, Richard Lee refused to accept an endorsement deal from a poker room and preferred promoting San Antonio instead.
In August 2006, not long after the 2006 WSOP, Richard Lee was charged with running an illegal gambling website. The accusations were discussed in court for over a year and ended with a settlement – Richard Lee managed to dodge the serious jail time threat, but had to give up most of his profits from the WSOP winnings, about $2.5 million. Once the settlement has been signed, Richard Lee was quoted saying "I'm glad it's over. Now I need to go win another poker tournament".
Richard Lee's game is definitely No Limit Texas Hold'em. He is still considered an "amateur poker professional", and never won 1st place in a tournament, but all his fans know he's playing from the heart, for the fun and for the sport. After all, Richard Lee is not worried about the money. As a semi-retired businessman, he already has it, and he's willing to admit it. Everyone was surprised when he declared that he didn't care about the $12 million prize at the 2006 WSOP, but soon it was obvious that coming from him, this statement is not as shocking as one would've thought.
Richard Lee – Quick Facts
Cashes: 8
Total Winnings: $2,922,037
First place finishes: 0
WSOP bracelets: 0