Jay Lee Returns After Turning Good Decisions Into "Pour Choices"

By Sean Chaffin

Last season’s WPT Choctaw Championship was a dream come true for Austin, Texas, native Jay Lee. The 28-year-old topped a field of 924 entries to take home the title and etch his name on the prestigious WPT Champions Cup. He’s back in the field for Day 1a and looking at defending his title.

What did he do after winning $593,173 a year ago? Lee opened a bar called “Pour Choices” on Austin’s famed Sixth Street.

For those who may not be familiar with the capital of the Lone Star State, Austin is known as “The Live Music Capital of the World” and Sixth Street is known for its numerous bars and music scene. Pour Choices offers plenty of beer options, cocktails, and live music. The place attracts plenty of students from the University of Texas looking to chill out and have a good time.

“It’s going really well,” Lee said. “We’re actually way ahead of where we thought we’d be. There’s a great happy-hour crowd and you can sit back and relax. ”

Lee has a few other partners and helps with the back-end operations, with two managers who oversee day-to-day duties. However, Lee is at the bar regularly to help make sure things are running smoothly.

“I am there a lot,” Lee said. “We just opened up, so it’s nice to see everything instead of just being completely hands-off, where you don’t know where all the money is going from early on. Once we get rolling and become a well-oiled machine, I think we’ll take a couple steps back.”

Since starting the bar, Lee’s poker career has taken a bit of a backseat, but he hopes to get back to the tables a bit more beginning with this season’s WPT Choctaw.

“It’s going to take some time,” Lee said. “Of course, when you pile a bunch of money into something you want to make sure it does well and is successful.”

A graduate of the UT McCombs School of Business, Lee also grew up in Austin and is putting his degree to good use as a business owner.

As for a repeat performance of last season’s title-winning run?

“You never know,” Lee said. “A repeat would be amazing.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and host of the True Gambling Stories podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @PokerTraditions.

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