Born on August 10th 1933, in Longworth, Fisher County, Texas, Doyle F Brunson, aka Texas Dolly (perhaps an unlikely name for man resembling a cowboy!), was the son of John Willis Brunson and Leona Brunson. He was a professional poker player for more than 50 years before retiring with his fearsome reputation intact.
Doyle won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) twice in his career and was one of the first poker players to win $1 million in a tournament. Additionally, he has written numerous books about poker, to clue players into how to improve their game, and is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.
Early Childhood
As a keen basketball player, Brunson dreamed of playing in the NBA. Sadly, a knee injury wrecked his dreams of becoming a professional basketball player, so he instead obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in administrative education. During his studies downtime he became noteably skilled at five-card-draw poker.
Fast forward to graduation, and he worked as a salesman for a business machine company. He played seven-card-stud poker on his first day and won a month’s salary. The decision was made. He left the Company shortly after to become a professional poker player. It’s a very different trajectory to many of today’s poker greats, because these were ‘wild west’ type pre-internet times. Nowadays many novice and profession players alike cut their poker teeth and hone their skills online. Sites like Online Casino Bluebook casino reviews ensure that you play at a trusted site with top bonuses , a significant player base and many other games available (roulette, slots etc).
Brunson’s Poker Career
Brunson and a friend named Dwayne Hamilton began playing poker at various illegal venues in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, usually run by criminals, or at least shall we say undesirables, some who were members of organised crime syndicates.
Eventually, Hamilton moved back to Fort Worth, but Brunson knew he was onto a good thing and had the talent to forge ahead so continued to gamble and eventually moved to Las Vegas. The decision unltimately turned out to be the best he ever made, as in his career he won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets.
Involvement of the entire family
Not satisfied with letting his own ability do the talking, he also coached his son Todd, who won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2005 along with his father, a proud moment for both. He has a daughter, Pamela, who played in both 2007 and 2009. Brunson had turned his passion and career into a real family affair.
What happened to him?
Doyle Brunson announced on June 11 2018, that he would be retiring that summer to spend more time with his wife who was very sick. He had given so much to the world of poker over the course of decades and will go down as one of the poker greats.
