The poker world has been devastated by the death of the legendary Doyle Brunson. Brunson, better known by his nickname “Texas Dolly” or “The Godfather of Poker,” died May 14 in Las Vegas at the age of 89.
Doyle Brunson didn’t start out as a poker legend, but it was clear he was destined for greatness from the start. In fact, when he attended Sweetwater High School in the 1950s, he was an up-and-coming track star with a best time of 4:43. As early as in college, he aspired to become a professional basketball player and enter the NBA, but a knee injury forced him to change his career plan and trajectory.
But even before the injury, Doyle Brunson’s five-card changeup wasn’t bad. Because of the injury, he sometimes has to use a cane, which has allowed him more time to play poker, although he still doesn’t play it all the time. After earning a master’s degree in executive education, he briefly worked as a business machines sales representative for Burroughs Corporation.
That all changed when Doyle Brunson was invited to play Seven Card Stud, a game in which he won more money than he could bring home in a month as a salesman. In other words, Brunson clearly knows how to play the game, and he knows how to play it well. He left Burroughs Corporation to play poker full-time, which was gambling in itself.
Early in his poker career, Doyle Brunson played illegal games, often run by organized crime groups. But by 1970, Doyle was settling in Las Vegas, where he competed in the more legitimate World Series of Poker (WSOP), which the institution has competed in every year since its inception.
Brunson certainly honed his craft (and his share of decks) during these early stages and cemented his WSOP legacy by winning 10 bracelets in his career. Doyle Brunson won $1,538,130 in 10 bracelet cash.
In 1978, Doyle Brunson self-published Super/System, one of the first poker strategy books. Considered by many to be the most authoritative book on the subject, Super/System changed poker forever by giving casual players insight into how pros play and win. While the book has been instrumental in many ways to poker’s mainstream success, Brunson may have had to spend quite a bit of money on a potential winnings.
While we lost a poker legend with the passing of Doyle Brunson, he left an indelible legacy that will continue to inspire generations of players to come. His poker books have kept him a household name among poker players and have contributed significantly to the development of poker.
Post time: May-18-2023