Lee Nelson,

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

(born January 19, 1943) is a retired New Zealand

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

and now a professional

poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

player. He was born in the United States.

Poker

In 2004, Nelson won the St. Maarten's event in December of that year. Because he wore a Hawaiian shirt to the final table, it became his signature outfit when he reaches the final table. Nelson is a regular on the

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

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 (called a "heads up poker, heads-up" tournament), and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on th ...

circuit, having won two events at the 2005

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. The Main Event of the series is the Southern Hemisphere's richest poker tournament with a ...

. In April 2005, Nelson won the PartyPoker World Open in

Maidstone, Kent Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it with ...

, 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

, taking home A$1,295,800. That also granted him a lifetime entry pass to the annual event, which he does return annually. As of 2008, Nelson's total live tournament winnings exceed $2,000,000. Nelson was inducted in the Australian Poker Hall of Fame in 2009, and he won the $1,100 pot limit

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

tournament in

Aussie Millions The Australian Poker Championship, commonly known as Aussie Millions, is a series of poker tournaments held at the Crown Casino, in Melbourne, Australia. The Main Event of the series is the Southern Hemisphere's richest poker tournament with a ...

side event. He previously represented

PokerStars PokerStars is an online poker cardroom that was a part of The Stars Group until it was sold to Flutter Entertainment on May 5, 2020. It can be accessed through downloadable poker clients for the Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It is the large ...

as one of the poker professionals on their "Team PokerStars". In 2012, he won the Victoria Championship Main Event. Nelson is also the co-author (with

Blair Rodman Blair Rodman (born April 5, 1954, in Troy, New York) 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. He has had numerous finishes ...

) of the poker strategy book ''Kill Phil: The Fast Track to Success in No-Limit Hold 'em Poker Tournaments'' (), "Let's Play Poker" and a sequel to "Kill Phil" (named after many top poker players at the time named Phil:

Phil Galfond Phil Galfond (born January 16, 1985) is an American professional poker player. Galfond won three World Series of Poker bracelets, in the $5,000 buy-in pot-limit Omaha with rebuys event in 2008, the $10,000 no-limit 2-7 single draw championship ...

, Phil Gordon,

Phil Hellmuth Phillip Jerome Hellmuth Jr. (born July 16, 1964) is an American professional poker player who has won a record sixteen World Series of Poker bracelets. He is the winner of the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the Main Even ...

Phil Ivey Phillip Dennis Ivey Jr. (born February 1, 1977) is an American professional poker player who has won ten World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title, and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables. Ivey is regarded by numerou ...

and

Phil Laak Philip Courtney Laak (born September 8, 1972) is an Irish–American professional poker player and a poker commentator, now residing in Los Angeles, California. Laak holds a World Poker Tour (WPT) title, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, a ...

), "Kill Everyone." Nelson co-hosts

Joker Poker ''Joker Poker'' was a late night Australian poker program on Network Ten which aired in 2005 and 2006. The 2005 edition was hosted by Adam Spencer, with the second and final edition hosted by Mike Goldman. Both were co-hosted by New Zealand po ...

with

Mike Goldman Michael Goldman (born 7 November 1972), is an Australian actor, television and radio host and voice over. He has appeared in television roles, mini-series and films like Young Rock, The Wilds and A Place to Call Home. He is the son of televisio ...

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

in Australia and also co-hosts the New Zealand version on TV3 with

Brooke Howard-Smith Brooke Howard-Smith (born 6 October 1972) is an entrepreneur, New Zealand Television presenter, broadcaster, television presenter and artist having most recently exhibited at 42 Below's space in Auckland. Action sports At age 21 Brooke and Arl ...

. Nelson provides expert commentary and explanations of poker rules and strategy to viewers. Nelson is based in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

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 has recently built and opened an oceanfront wellness retreat at the border of the Abel Tasman National Park, near Nelson, New Zealand, that provides wellness programs for guests, including functional food, shiatsu massage, acupuncture, meditation, and exercise (especially walks, kayaking, and swimming with the seals in the National Park).Split Apple Retreat
/ref> Lee is the Retreat's Director and conducts optional personal wellness programs for guests. The Retreat was submitted for the New Zealand Architectural Awards in 2010.

References

External links

Hendon Mob tournament results
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Lee 1943 births Living people New Zealand poker players American emigrants to New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand medical doctors