<p><strong>Lee Markholt: Bull Riding, Old-School Poker, and the Wild West Era of Vegas Games | Table 1 Podcast</strong></p><p>Some poker careers start with solvers and staking deals.</p><p>Lee Markholt’s started with bulls, butcher shops, and a $10 “please just get on this thing” rodeo spot… and somehow turned into a decades-long poker run that included early WSOP final tables (hello, Daniel Negreanu), WPT cash-game glory, and a whole lot of “I never went broke” discipline.</p><p>In this episode, Art and Justin sit down with Lee for one of those conversations that feels like you’re getting a peek behind the curtain of two disappearing worlds: rodeo and pre-boom poker.</p><p><strong>What we talk about</strong></p><ul><li>Growing up in Tacoma + a family story that sends him to the farm at 12</li><li>The bull riding dream (and the injuries that came with it)</li><li>Dropping out before high school… then out-working everyone anyway</li><li>The moment poker “clicked” during shoulder surgery</li><li>Early card rooms: dealer’s choice, stud games, wild stuff, and “IOU poker”</li><li>Tournaments in the early days (including the legendary Seymour Flop story)</li><li>Working as a floor / running rooms… and the twist that pushed him into full-time play</li><li>WSOP memories + the final table where Negreanu won his first bracelet (and the brutal hand)</li><li>The boom years, shot-taking, bankroll rules, and why Lee never borrowed to stay alive</li><li>Bellagio’s golden era, private-game politics, and why phones changed the feel of poker</li><li>Why Lee game-selects more than ever now (and what he’s chasing these days)</li></ul><p><strong>Quick shoutouts / links</strong></p><p><strong>Card Player stories from our episodes:</strong><br><a href="https://table1.vegas/cardplayer">https://table1.vegas/cardplayer</a></p><p><strong>Want a seat in our game at Aria?</strong><br>Go to <a href="https://table1.vegas">https://table1.vegas</a> → click “Get a seat in the game” and fill out the form. Minimum buy-in $5,000. Art or Justin will text you.</p><p><strong>Sponsors</strong></p><p><strong>Phenom Poker</strong> — now running daily MTTs (10–12 tournaments a day).<br>First-time depositors can get up to a 200% bonus on $2k when you use our link:<br><a href="https://play.phenompoker.com/register?r=Table1">https://play.phenompoker.com/register?r=Table1</a></p><p>If you enjoyed this one, hit Subscribe and drop a comment with your favorite Lee story — we read them all.</p><p><strong>Show Notes</strong></p><p>00:00 Early Cowboy Life &amp; Growing Up Fast<br>10:04 The Bull Riding Days<br>20:07 Lee’s Worst Injury &amp; Biggest Rodeo Spots<br>24:01 Getting into Poker &amp; Tournaments<br>31:18 Dropping Bulls for Poker<br>40:22 The Poker Boom &amp; Money Management<br>47:36 From Backers to Binking<br>56:58 Family + Poker<br>1:00:30 Getting Stiffed &amp; Almost Going Broke<br>1:13:39 Make Poker Fun Again!<br>1:25:18 Good Decisions &amp; The Future<br>1:30:56 One More for the Road</p>