Lee Watkinson plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

True to his spotlight-shy personality, Lee quietly emerged on the poker circuit in 1994 in the $500 Limit Hold 'em event at the 1994 L.A. Poker Classic. Originally hailing from Washington, the Economics graduate virtually disappeared after that. However, Lee returned for good in 2003 and has been much more conspicuous since then, cashing in major poker tournaments all over the U.S., with some extremely impressive finishes.

At the 2004 World Series of Poker, Lee secured second place in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event, earning $270,000. His performance was highlighted by the fact he played against an extremely talented final table, including such notables as Daniel Negreanu, Jeff Lisandro, and Team Full Tilt member Howard Lederer

Just a few months later, Lee had two amazing back-to-back performances on the World Poker Tour. First, he finished second in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold 'em Championship Event at the 2004 WPT Mirage Poker Showdown. Then, Lee secured another second-place finish in a heads-up battle against the legendary Doyle Brunson in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold 'em event at the 2004 WPT Legends of Poker in Los Angeles. Though Brunson won, Lee left the table with a hefty $578,000.

Twelve years after his inconspicuous start on the pro poker circuit, the spotlight shone solely on Lee as he won the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event at the 2006 WSOP. Lee used his well-known aggressive tactics to out-last an impressive field of more than 200 players, consisting of many of the world's Pot-Limit experts, including the event's defending champion, Rafi Amit.

In addition to his first gold bracelet, Lee also earned more than $650,000. Lee will donate a portion of his winnings toward building a sanctuary for captive Chimpanzees. To celebrate his win, Lee planned to take his girlfriend and some lucky chimps out for cake and ice cream.

When the animal rights activist isn't playing live tournaments, Lee enjoys surfing and spending time with his girlfriend.