If you had to pick two physical sports that might provide you with some experience useful for playing poker, surfing and wrestling might be good choices. Balancing yourself while hurtling forward in a constantly changing game you play with an ocean of possibilities, and using all the aggression and strength provided by your genes and your species to overpower a determined opponent - these can mean the difference between winning and losing, in poker as in these sports.
For Lee Watkinson, from Washington state in the northwest U.S., those three activities are what he does. Named Player of the Year in 2004 by Card Player magazine, Watkinson is known for his aggressive play and low profile. He is ranked #14 in The Hendon Mob's 2004 Money List of the Top 100 players, with a bit over $1.5 million, and he has had money finishes in nearly 20 tournaments. These include 3rd place in the $10,000 Championship Event of No Limit Hold'em of the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament Circuit in Las Vegas (where he won more than $138,000), 3nd place in the $1,000 No Limit Hold'em event of the 2005 Bellagio Weekly Tournament in Las Vegas, 2nd place in the $5000 No Limit Hold'em Championship Final Day of the World Poker Tour (WPT) at the 2004 Legends of Poker in the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles (where he nabbed more than half a million dollars), 2nd place at the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Final Day at the 2004 Mirage Poker Showdown in Las Vegas (another half million plus), and another 2nd place in the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event of the 35th WSOP in 2004 in Las Vegas, for a $270,000 prize. Obviously, if you want to swim with sharks and wrestle with the big guys, it's a good idea to have had some experience.
