Hailing from Tacoma, Washington, Victory Poker pro Lee Markholt was an avid bull rider until he decided to call it quits at age 25. It was actually during recovery from a bull riding injury that Lee discovered a few of his father’s poker books and started reading them. After falling in love with poker, he developed his game in local card rooms while working for his father’s meat cutting business during the week. When he realized he was a consistent winner and that there was more money for him in poker, he decided to go pro.
Markholt’s decision showed the first signs of paying off in 1996 when he finished third in the $5K No Limit Hold’em Championship Event at the L.A. Poker Classic for $31K. In 2002, he won a $1K tournament in Las Vegas for $66K. He made his first World Poker Tour final table in 2004, taking seventh for $75.5K in the Borgata Open. In 2005, he recorded his first major tournament win by shipping the Professional Poker Tour Five Star World Poker Classic for $225K. To this day, Lee still claims the PPT title is his biggest poker accomplishment due to the fact that it was an invitation only event filled with professionals.
In 2005, Lee booked another impressive finishing, nabbing third in the $5K World Poker Finals for $112K. His largest score to date came in 2008’s World Poker Tour World Poker Challenge, which he won for $494K. A year later, he followed it up with another WPT final table, this time taking sixth in the $9700 World Poker Finals for $166K. All told, Markholt has over $2.5 million in live tournament earnings.
Even with all his success, Lee Markholt has stayed incredibly grounded, and unlike most poker players who move to Vegas, he still calls Washington State home. For all aspiring poker players out there, Lee had this to say in a previous interview: “Treat it like a business. It’s like anything else in life in that you get out of it what you put into it. Work hard at it and study. Stay away from all of the other pitfalls that are associated with the gambling world: the casino games, the nightlife, and the glitz. You have to stay focused on the game.”
Overplaying A-K by Lee Markholt for PND
Getting all of your money in pre-flop with A-K in a fast structure tournament can never be a big mistake, but in a deep stack tournament, I see people overplay A-K (and A-Q for that matter) time and time again.
Willing to 4bet and 5bet all-in with these hands when you’re sitting with 200 or more big blinds I feel is a big mistake unless, of course, it’s later in the tournament or your stack has fallen below 100 big blinds. Most people feel when they have A-K, they must be in a coin flip situation. After all, what are the odds someone could be holding A-A or K-K when you’re holding A-K? Believe me, it happens a lot.
Obviously, it depends on your opponent and if you happen to be against a hyper-aggressive player who 4bets light, then you’re in a tough spot. But, trust me, most opponents will not 4bet or 5bet when they have a deep stack unless they’re holding A-A or K-K.
Next time you’re sitting with a deep stack and you raise with A-K and get 3bet by a opponent who also has a deep stack, consider just calling. Play your hand after the flop rather than 4betting and putting yourself in a very tough spot if your opponent 5bets all-in.
Click here for Lee Markholt’s interview with Poker News Daily.
