Famous poker players - Doyle Brunson

Ask anyone to name the five most famous poker players of all time, and it is fairly certain that one of them will be Doyle Brunson.

Brunson was born in the depths of the 1930s depression in a tiny Texas town called Longworth. He had an affinity for athletics and in particular basketball at which he represented the state, though his playing was curtailed by an injury from which he still suffers after effects.

His first foray with poker was in illegal gambling dens, which often were frequented by members of the mob and other organised crime, and it was not unusual for Brunson to be staring down the wrong end of a gun barrel. Teamed up with another poker player called Dwayne Hamilton, he made a living playing poker in Texas and its surrounding states. Eventually they built up a substantial bankroll, but lost it all on a visit to Las Vegas, a place that Brunson later made his home.

Brunson was one of the inaugural players in what was to become the World Series of Poker, which he won in 1976 and 1977, and through the game he has amassed a large fortune, playing a variety of games such as Texas hold em.

As well as playing poker, he has also famously written about it. His book, called "Super System" with the subtitle "How I Made Over $1,000,000 Playing Poker", was the first publication detailing poker strategies and has become the poker players' Bible. Even though it has been in print for over 30 years, it remains popular and just as relevant to today's game as it was when it was written. In fact the book was updated in 2004 in "Super System 2" which also includes contributions from a large number of famous poker players.

Brunson currently concentrated on high stakes games and often he can be spotted playing at the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip. He also makes frequent television appearances. He has nine gold poker bracelets, and various publications, including a book called "My Fifty Most Memorable Hands" in which he recalls witnessing several people who died whist playing poker; one was shot and two died of heart attacks. He now has an online poker site called Doyle's Room.

 

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