Doyle Brunson

If you start a list of poker players who have had the most influence on the game, you would have to place Doyle Brunson in the first or second spot. Amarillo Slim (Tom Preston) or Johnny Moss might have to occupy the other position. This is the opinion of many in the modern world of poker.

These men and a handful of others were instrumental in bringing poker from the back room to the public eye. Of course, many young players have contributed to poker’s popularity explosion in the past couple of decades. But Brunson, Preston, Moss and a few others made the transition from players who made money playing poker to poker professionals who are recognized around the world.

Doyle Brunson is a tall, talented Texan who was successful in several other fields before the general population began to recognize him as a poker player. He was born in Longworth, Texas in 1933. That makes him close to 77 today. Yet he manages to face down some of the youngest and most aggressive players in the world and now holds 10 World Series of Poker bracelets.

Brunson was a great athlete, running distance races and playing basketball at the college level. A work accident ended his athletic career. His leg was broken in two places. Though he played poker occasionally in his teens and during his college days he didn’t start playing the game seriously until he made the decision to give up selling business machines. He found he could make more money at the poker table.

He played professionally in Texas for several years, developing a strong friendship with Amarillo Slim and another great player, Sailor Roberts. He also battled through cancer and made a miraculous recovery that he says changed the way he viewed life. He moved his family to Las Vegas when he was 40 years old (1973) and hasn’t looked back.

He started making what he calls “big money” in the next few years and was one of the first great players to participate in the new World Series of Poker. As we mentioned, he has won WSOP events 10 times and has made millions of dollars at poker tables around the world. His “Super System” book is considered one of the foundational books in poker education. He still participates in tournaments but once said that he would rather get involved in side-game action during tournament sessions because there is more money to be made, and Doyle Brunson certainly knows how to make money in the poker world.