Jason Lester is a professional poker player from Miami, Florida in the United States of America.
Jason Lester had his maiden tournament appearance at the 21st Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) and reached the final table in his very first outing. He participated, along with 84 other players, in Event #10 - WSOP Limit Seven Card Stud event held at Binion's Gambling Hall on May 9, 1990 and finished fourth, taking away $29,400 from a prize pool of $420,000. At the 23rd Annual World Series of Poker 1992, Jason Lester finished fourth in Event #11 - Pot-Limit Hold'em and walked away with $25,740.
In 1995, he played in five events at the 26th Annual World Series of Poker and managed to earn quite a few cashes. On May 4, during the tournament, Jason participated in Event #10 - WSOP Pot-Limit Hold'em. He competed against 263 players, and ended up at fourth place, which earned him $25,740. Eight days later, he competed in the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event and reached the final table, where he finished sixth pocketing $15,413. In the same tournament, Jason Lester also took part in Event #19 – Pot-Limit Hold'em, Event #21 – No-Limit Hold'em, and Event #25 - World Championship – No-Limit Hold'em and cashed $25,540.
Jason Lester earned his first six-digit prize money at the 34th Annual World Series of Poker in the No Limit Hold'em event. The Binion’s Gambling Hall was the scene of action on May 23, 2003, where 839 poker players were competing for the bracelet. Jason Lester finished in fourth place and earned $440,000 from a prize pool of $7,802,700. After a couple of years, he finished sixth in Event #31 - No-Limit Hold'em at the 36th Annual World Series of Poker held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. He increased his bankroll by $67,905 from the prize pool of $1,414,700 for this final table finish. In the same tournament, Jason Lester became richer by $107,950, which he cashed-in at Event #42 - WSOP World Championship – No-Limit Hold'em.
On April 9, 2006, he entered the Five-Star World Poker Classic – World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship Season 4. He took part in the No-Limit Hold'em event held at the Bellagio and cashed $9,590. In the same year, he earned $16,647 in the WPT No Limit Hold'em Championship event at the Mirage Poker Showdown/WPT Event Season 5.
However, the biggest victory of his career, till date, happened on July 22, 2006 at the 37th Annual World Series of Poker. Jason Lester played in Event #32 - Pot-Limit Hold'em held at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. He played exceptionally well and pulled out an impressive victory that earned him over half a million dollars and with it, the coveted gold bracelet. On December 9, 2006, Jason Lester was the second runner-up in Event #9 – No-Limit Hold'em, which was part of the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic/WPT Event Season 5. By the end of the event, his bankroll went up by a handsome $92,655. The 38th Annual World Series of Poker saw him finishing fourth in Event #13 - Pot Limit Hold'em World Championship held at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas and walking away with $132,813. A recent record shows that Jason Lester has amassed over $1.7 million from tournament winnings, which includes 24 cashes and one WSOP bracelet.
Apart from poker, his other area of expertise is backgammon, and he has won many backgammon tournaments in the past. Jason Lester had played himself in the film Lucky you, which starred Robert Duvall, Eric Bana, and Drew Barrymore.
