Regal Custom Poker Table-Poker Articles

HOME

Poker Legend: Doyle Brunson

In regards to the world of professional poker, success can measured to a few professional standards. When considering championships and the bracelets that accompany the WSOP honor; anyone that can put on all of their bracelets, shake their arms and sound like they are about to kick off a rendition of Jingle Bells, they are not just good - they are legendary.

There are so few in this category, and the company is so elite that a player like Doyle Brunson is recognized by a nickname: He is and will forever be "Texas Dolly;" a standard that contemporary poker players are measured against. A life that is every bit worthy of a Hollywood story, and professional tournament results that have only been rivaled by two others; Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth.

If anyone wanted to discuss what Brunson has done for the game of poker, it would be like discussing what Michael Jordan did for the game of basketball, or maybe more recently what Tiger Woods has done for the game of golf. Doyle helped bring popularity to a game that was often seen as something played by sailors, or men in prison. And not many would argue that he is singularly responsible for bringing the most popular of today’s poker games to the masses: No-Limit Holdem.

If it's true that adversity builds character, maybe that's why Doyle has achieved all that he has. Raised in poverty in a small Texas town, Doyle was a standout athlete. He attended college on an athletic scholarship and was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in the early 1950s; yet never played a game. While working his factory job, Doyle was involved in an accident that left him with a debilitating leg injury from which he would never fully recover. At that point, Doyle turned to the game of poker as a competitive outlet.

Doyle traveled with his poker buddies known as the Texas rounders all over the state of Texas and into the south, going all out to play poker. They would find the best high stakes games available and wipe the place clean; this gained him the reputation of being quite the poker player, but not always in a positive light. This effort proved to be the earliest success in his poker career, but in his personal life, more adversity was soon to follow.

In 1962, Doyle was diagnosed with cancer of which the doctor's believed to be terminal. He had an operation to hopefully prolong his life, offering him the chance to meet his new baby daughter. Surprisingly, when she came his cancer disappeared. Some things are apparently meant to be. This would become a repetitive pattern; though he would struggle with other adversity, he continued to do what he did best; play poker.

The decade of the 1970s proved to be the introduction of Doyle Brunson to the rest of the poker world as he earned 6 WSOP bracelets from 1976-1979. Not only did he take two $10,000 No-Limit main event titles in back to back years, but also won bracelets in three 7-Card varieties.

The 1970s also offered Doyle Brunson's Super System; at the time, the only book that let the casual player experience a glimpse of the poker professionals mind, expanding the popularity of the game even further! As he approaches his 74th year, Doyle shows no sign of slowing down or retiring. He remains active in several poker circuits and even gets in regular action at his online poker site, Doyle's Room.

More Poker Articles