The Godfather of Poker, Doyle Brunson Has Died Aged 89
Doyle Brunson, described as the Godfather of Poker, has died at the age of 89. The first player to surpass $1 million in tournament winnings, Brunson wrote and published one of the first poker strategy books, Super/System, in 1978. It is considered the most influential book ever written on the subject.
Born and raised in Texas, Brunson obtained a master’s degree in administrative education in 1955. But an introduction to seven card stud yielded immediate results and, following success in illegal backroom games, he moved to Las Vegas and became a regular player at the World Series of Poker from its 1970 inception.
Doyle Brunson, pictured here with Leonardo DiCaprio, had legendary status amongst poker fans. ©GettyImages
In 1976, Brunson parlayed his $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event entry into $220,000 when claiming the title ahead of 21 rivals. Twelve months later, he landed poker’s premier event for a second time.
Both times, his winning hand was 10-2, and, courtesy of favorable turn and river cards, he made a full-house on both occasions. A 10-2 Texas Hold’em starting hand has been known as the “Doyle Brunson” ever since.
The Near Misses and a $1 Million WPT
Additional World Series of Poker (WSOP) success would follow. By 1988 – the year he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame – Brunson had accumulated six bracelets. At the time of his WSOP retirement in 2018, he had ten. And it is often forgotten that Brunson finished second – to Stu Ungar – in the 1980 Main Event. He was also fourth in 1982 and third in 1983.
His heroics were not exclusive to the World Series. In 2004, when televised poker began to boom, Brunson collected his biggest-ever financial payday when winning the 2004 WPT Legends of Poker in Los Angeles’ fabled Bike Casino.
The Greek Gave Texan Dolly His Name
Brunson, who made cameo appearances in several films and documentaries – including The Godfather of Poker, The Grand, and 2007s Lucky You – was known by the moniker “Texas Dolly”.
His nickname came from Jimmy ‘The Greek’ Snyder, who incorrectly read his name when compering an event. Snyder was supposed to announce Brunson as “Texas Doyle” (as he was from the state of Texas), but instead, he said “Texas Dolly” and the name stuck.
Brunson produced nine books in total. The last, The Godfather of Poker: The Doyle Brunson Story, went on sale in 2009. Brunson had previously put his name to an online poker site called ‘Doyles Room’.
Brunson Gambled Against the Odds and Won
In a 2005 Guardian interview, when asked about his business ventures, Brunson said: “Not everything I touch turns to gold. I’ve had some really bad experiences. I’d say my worst venture was a Christian TV station I tried to start up. It was very unsuccessful – it devastated me!”
Indeed, Brunson was a man of faith, as confirmed by his family in a Tweet distributed by his agent when the legend passed on. It read:
Passing this on:
“It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of our father, Doyle Brunson. He was a beloved Christian man, husband, father and grandfather. We’ll have more to say over the coming days as we honor his legacy. Please keep Doyle and our family in your…
— Brian Balsbaugh (@Balsbaugh) May 15, 2023
Brunson was a hardy individual who overcame cancer several times. In March 2020, the day after Covid-19 officially became a ‘pandemic’, the poker player Tweeted: “The Corona can’t touch me, I’ve been robbed at gunpoint five times, been stabbed, beat cancer three times and survived three car wrecks”.
But one of his most famous quotes: “I’m a gambler. I’ll always be one. I couldn’t be anything else. So, my life will always be full of wins and losses. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s exciting. There has never been a dull moment in my life,” probably best sums up how Brunson lived and earned his reputation.
