Seat 3: Leo Worthington-Leese, 31, Brighton, UK – 8,270,000
We’ve put Brighton down as Leo Worthington-Leese’s hometown, but aside from
occasional visits to family, the 31-year-old poker pro is never there. He’s on the road
traveling for poker, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Since turning pro in 2017, Worthington-Leese has accumulated $541,784 in live
tournament cashes from various stops around the world, many of which your average
poker fan won’t know exist. His largest score came at the Battle of Malta in 2019 where
he finished fifth for €56,470.
"I like to go places I’ve never been before," he says. "I mix it up between mainstream
stops like the EPT and smaller, value-heavy stops. I just make it up as I go really."
Worthington-Leese discovered poker when some college friends invited him for a £5
rebuy. He enjoyed it so much that he sought out other nearby games and began doing
the rounds from his local pub to the cricket club. The natural progression was to
casinos and Worthington-Leese hasn’t stopped since.
He’s had a lot of close calls in big tournaments recently and feels like momentum is on
his side.
"I feel really good," he says. "Everything has been preparing me to be comfortable
here."