There are more than 250 million people actively playing poker worldwide. Doyle Brunson is a legend among them. Poker lovers all over the world have their own little secrets and rituals. They invest time in getting the skills and learning the game. Often, they go to great lengths to become invincible. That is all fine and admirable. However, we cannot help but ask what does it look like to achieve all that and have a career of more than 60 years and a movie-worthy epic life?
Meet Doyle Brunson, the first poker player who won a million in poker tournament. He is also so much more.
Personal Background
People refer to Doyle Brunson as the “Godfather of Poker”, or the “Texas Dolly”. This is the man with an extremely long career in playing poker. Let us just say that he was born on August 10th in 1933, and that he officially retired in 2018. If anyone managed to get to the core of this game, it was him.
There has been much talk about his autobiography that came out in 2012 titled “The Godfather of Poker”. You can still find it on Amazon or perhaps in one of your local bookshops. The book is certainly interesting in many ways. Above all, it tells the story of an extraordinary life, the ups and downs of one of the greatest poker players of all times. And we have to respect that.
Moreover, it is the story of a life that not too many of us would be able to live. There are reports that say he literally gambled for his life at gunpoint. He lived through the WWII as a boy. He is a cancer survivor, a stabbings and gunfights survivor, a winner.
Professional Career
A master of the bluff, as some say, reportedly earned more than $75 million in his professional career. Others claim that he won millions and lost millions only to win them back again. Mr. Brunson is the holder of 10 bracelets won in a 6-decade long career.
Doyle Brunson is famous for winning 2 World Series of Poker Main Events (in 1976 and 1977) with the final hand of 10-2. But how did it all start?
Brunson thought that he would be a professional basketball player. Until he suffered a knee injury which prevented him from playing. Admirably, he graduated with a master’s degree in administrative education. He purportedly became a salesman but switched to poker playing very soon. From seven-card stud to a Vegas jackpot, he tried it all.
He was a regular at World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournaments ever since their inception in 1970. After his 2-years consecutive wins, he was always at the very top in the following tournaments.
Doyle Brunson System
Interestingly, Doyle Brunson published a book describing his system, while he was at the peak of his career. Consequently, he suffered some loses. However, his “Super System” 1 & 2 became famous and are nowadays considered classics.
There are players who read them and say that some parts of the books are outdated. However, these are still very valuable insights to poker. Especially, given the fact there is no multitude of written material o the subject that you can study from.
Therefore, if you get a chance to get your hands on these books, don’t miss it out. Some suggest reading the chapters on Stud variants and 2-7 Triple Draw carefully, as well as the material on No Limit Hold’Em and Omaha. The same as with any other mathematically based techniques, study the material and make sure to test it out in practice.
Doyle Brunson on Coming Out of the Comfort Zone
Brunson books tackle the topics of psychological aspects as well and how to deal with aggressive playing styles and pressure. More importantly, he also talks about the players in his era. “A completely different breed of people”, he said in the interview below, describing risk-taking players back in his time.
It makes us all think that people nowadays prefer to stay in their comfort zones. True risk takers always have better chances of making the greatest wins. It is good to remember it from time to time.
If you want to test your chances now, head right to our bet safe and crypto friendly Yabby casino and try some of our poker games. But do not forget to come back and listen to this interesting interview with the legend.
