This space is normally used to celebrate a legendary player, who roamed the dusty backroads of America and fleeced people in dodgy saloons.

This month, we’re marking the life of a different kind of poker hero: Adam Lee, who died in March, aged 23, of a brain tumour. Adam was not a whiskery old Texan with a pistol in his pocket. He was a 21st century player: a young guy from London with a ready smile and a fearsome reputation on the internet.

He was living the modern dream, displaying enough poker skill to turn pro almost directly after leaving school. But he avoided the trap of sacrifi cing a social life in pursuit of the game: Adam’s triumphs included finding true love with his girlfriend Patricia, who described her three years with him as ‘the best time in my life’.

Growing reputation

Adam’s live tournament successes, including a fi nal table finish at the Master Classics in Amsterdam, totalled over $46,000. But it was online (under the name Square7) that he was most admired, starting from scratch and building himself up to a profitable regular player at the $150-$300 tables. His diagnosis and treatment did not interfere with his formidable strategies.

After completing radiotherapy, he came back to take his hard-won seat in the Poker Million, as well as collecting first prize in the opening event of LEOCOP (Ladbrokes European Online Championship Of Poker) for over $38,000.

Joe Beevers of The Hendon Mob describes Adam as ‘always smiling, getting on with everybody’. His sporting manner and popularity among his peers was an example to every kid who wants to live the poker dream: win or lose, Adam always behaved with graciousness and dignity.

After his death, Patricia wrote: ‘Live your lives to the fullest, appreciate your loved ones, and try to go that extra mile to make them happy because life is too short not to do so.’