“Poker is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.” In memory of Doyle Brunson (1933-2023)

Doyle Brunson, one of the greatest and most influential poker players of all time, died in Las Vegas on Monday night, May 15 at the age of 90. The poker community came together to pay tribute to the legendary player and highlight the enormous legacy he left behind. The PekarStas editorial team was involved.

Brenson’s life journey.

Doyle Brunson was born in 1933 in the small town of Longworth, Texas. There is no electricity or running water at home, and the family earns their living by picking cotton. Competitiveness runs in Doyle’s blood, and by the time he was in high school, he was already playing a lot of sports. In 1950, he was the Texas Mile Champion.

Above all, the young Brunson loved basketball. A star in the local college league, it was his teammates who introduced him to poker. NBA scouts were on him as early as 1953, but Doyle broke his leg during the offseason while working part-time at a plaster factory in his hometown of Longworth. That was the end of his basketball career.

While still in college, Doyle started playing poker in his spare time, beating students in Texas. After graduation, he found a job as a money counter salesman, but it was not a successful job.

One day, on his way to visit another client, he stumbled across a game of poker, a member of the billiards club, which earned him his monthly salary in just three hours.

He then quit his job and became a professional gambler, wandering underground card clubs in search of games. It was a tough day, and Brunson was always carrying a gun.

Doyle later moved to Las Vegas in search of a safer place to play, but his iconic status came in 1976 when he won the World Series of Poker Main Event. By today’s standards, the payout for the win was a paltry $220,000. A year later, Brunson repeated his mistakes and became a two-time world champion. He won two main events with this :to:2o hand, which he later named after himself.

Doyle Brunson played and won for 70 years. How did he do it?

What legacy did he leave behind?

During his career, Doyle has won a total of 10 WSOP bracelets, the last in 2005. He is equally good in all poker games – an art that is all but lost these days. Although Brunson had made sporadic World Series appearances in recent years, until his death he continued to make money gambling in the high rollers room of the Bellagio casino. Additionally, Doyle is one of the participants in the current high stakes poker season.

Doyle Brunson and Phil Helms

Doyle is not only the godfather of poker, but also a major pioneer of the game. The powerful no-limit hold’em strategy he developed allowed him to beat nearly every opponent in cash games of the day, and he was also having great success in this area by the time tournaments emerged in the 1970s. Around the same time, Brunson published The Super System, which became the first poker textbook well into the early 2000s and the handbook for many poker pros.

But his main contribution was that he helped shed poker’s fringe image as an underground game played by gangsters and poker fans.

As a result of this, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1988. The poker world as we see it today was largely created by Doyle Brunson. The vacuum created by his death will last a long time.

In 2022, Radar Pictures began work on a documentary about Brunson based on his 2009 autobiography, The Godfather of Poker. The script was written by former poker pro and WPT champion Justin Smith, who played alongside Doyle himself.

Condolences from the poker community

Brenson has beaten cancer more than once in his life. The first time it happened when he was not yet thirty: after a tumor was removed from his throat and the metastases spread throughout his body, the doctors gave Doyle only a few months, but then the disease miraculously disappeared without leaving any trace. Brunson then underwent several more successful surgeries to remove the skin cancer.

Doyle’s death was first reported by his son Todd on Twitter:

Yes, sorry. this is true. RIP Doyle 🙏

— Todd Brunson (@ToddBrunson) May 15, 2023 Sorry, but it’s true. RIP Doyle.

An official message followed, asking the Brunson family to respect their privacy during this difficult time:

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our father.”, Doyle Brunson. He was a loving Christian, husband, father and grandfather. We honor his legacy and have more to say in the days ahead. Please pray for Doyle and our family. rest in peace. ”

Brenson’s memory is remembered by many famous poker players. This is the most memorable tweet ever.

Daniel Negrianu:

The Legends will never have another Doyle Brunson. Doyle is by far @RadioAmanda’s favorite player. Many will miss it He, the godfather of poker #RIPDoyle pic.twitter.com/Y88BsrDhhP

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) May 15, 2023 Legend. There will be no second Doyle Brunson. He is my wife Amanda Favorite player. The godfather of poker will be missed by many.

“Sad day,” said another Hall of Famer Eric Seidel wrote. – We lost the most famous poker player in history, but his legacy will live on. I have always been inspired by his passion for the game and ability to play at the highest level even at the age of 80. That era is over. ”

Phil Helmuth noted that Brunson inspired three generations of poker players with his game, his book The Super System, his amazing style and tenacity of character: “Doyle Always play without compromise, hate to lose. “He’s been the king of expensive poker Las Vegas cash games for 50 years!”

Anchor Lex Veldhus shares how he gifted 12 years ago in Europe The story of giving Phil Ivey $25,000 to get that money during the WSOP. When he got to Vegas and met Phil, he turned and saw Doyle Brunson riding around the casino on his electric scooter. Ivey asked Brunson how much, and Doyle replied, “Leave me alone, I don’t carry change.”

Ben Rolle bluffing in a Mega Millions tournament He beat Roman Romanovsky’s :UA with a nice :to:2o in honor of Doyle, who picked up pocket aces on his next hand, RIP Legend.

For Doyle ❤️ RIP T❤️2♣️ pic.twitter.com/YitezM7wr3

– bencb (@bencb789) May 15, 2023

Phil Galfond : “I was lucky enough to play at the table with Doyle and really appreciate his ambition.” The word “legendary” Not quite right. Words have yet to be invented to express Doyle Brunson’s status in poker. ’

Scott Seaver recalls a story about one of Doyle’s signature hands: “The first or second time I played against him, I was at $40,000 Bluff, just because I have a mixed :to:2o, I want to tell him I can hit him with this hand. As he scooped up chips from the winning pot, Doyle looked at me with a smile and said, “You know how much money I get from people trying this?”

Justin Bonomo posted a favorite photo of his mother: “I was 22 years old and I was playing in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship at the WSOP. I was so selfish and bossy at the time that I didn’t even realize and What an honor and honor it was to sit at the table with that legend. Rest in peace Doyle. “

This is my mom’s favorite picture of me playing in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship tournament at about 22 years old – too selfish and arrogant to realize I was playing alongside this legend What an honor and honor, RIP Doyle pic.twitter.com/751TTcUDmg Play

— Bonologic (@JustinBonomo) May 15, 2023

Poker Carriers didn’t miss out either. Brunson’s likeness appears on loading screens in PokerOK and other GG rooms, and a one-minute halftime break in the $50,000 Legendary Poker Series tournament. In the first hand after the break, Patrick Antonius led :to:2o against Teun Mölder’s pocket jacks. Board processing: 7c:2d:3d:ah:tc.

First hand after the break @tritonpoker after a minute’s silence for Doyle. @Patrik_Antonius doubles against JJ. pic.twitter.com/Ym6aKzKgE3

— David Yan (@oraclevamoo) May 15, 2023