Party Time: Jay Lee Heads to Five Diamond as Part of Bachelor Party

By Sean Chaffin

For Season XVI WPT Choctaw champion Jay Lee (pictured), a trip to the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic is kind of like one long multi-state celebration that has continued through the weekend.

“I was just in Miami for a bachelor party,” he says. “My buddies came out to Vegas and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll meet you out there.’ So I never went home and took a direct flight out.”

He adds laughing: “But this is more work than party, that’s for sure.”

The win at Choctaw brought Lee a score of $593,173 and was his first cash on the tour. He now owns a bar called Pour Choices in his hometown of Austin, Texas. So far his business is going well.

“We’re probably the busiest bar in that area,” he says of the establishment, which is located on the well-known Sixth Street in Austin. The city is billed as the Live Music Capital of the World for its numerous bars and large live music scene.

“We’ve kind of taken over a good amount of the market share.”

This is his first Five Diamond Poker Classic for Lee and he’s having fun mixing it in up early in Day 1 as he seeks out his second WPT title. He’s been playing a few WPT events here and there since his win, and plays in some regular games in the Austin area.

“I pick my spots,” he says. “I don’t have to play right now if I don’t want to.”

The 29-year-old graduated from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business, and worked as a Chinese food delivery driver for the last eight years to supplement his poker income.

While his bar may be called Pour Choices, Lee’s hoping his choices are all good and (probably alcohol-free) on Day 1 at Bellagio. The celebratory cocktails can wait for a bit now.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.

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