Doyle Brunson

Doyle Brunson might remind you of your favorite 70-year-old uncle. But make no mistake, he is one of the most feared names in poker. Truly a legend in the game, “Texas Dolly” Brunson made his name initially playing back rooms in rough-and-tumble Texas towns, going on to win nine world championship titles and write the bible of poker instruction “Super/System: How I Made Over $1 Million Playing Poker.”

Born in Longworth, Texas, Brunson grew up on the West Texas plains, playing basketball—not poker initially. So talented that he was drafted by the NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers (predecessor to the LA Lakers), he had his heart set on being a professional athlete until a knee injury destroyed his dream. During the years he was earning a degree in education from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, TX, he began traveling around universities playing poker for extra cash. After graduation, Brunson took a full time job selling adding machines and bookkeeping equipment, but it became evident he could make more money with his poker skills. Quitting to become a “rounder”--making the rounds from one poker game to another--he honed his skills and developed his reputation as a fearsome competitor. Soon his consistent winning made invitations less forthcoming.

Moving to Las Vegas in the 1960s, he found a place where he could play high stakes poker in cash games with players from around the world. In 1976, he won his first world title, and then captured the title the following year with the exact same hand—10-2, “tens full of deuces” which has since become known as “a Doyle Brunson.” For more than five decades, Brunson has dominated the felt, never having a losing year, and he says his ambition is play until he is 80.

Doyle Brunson is the father of three.