Doyle Brunson
If there was one phrase that would accurately describe the "Texas Dolly", it would be "the father of Texas Holdem". He may not have invented the game itself, but Holdem would probably not be nearly as popular as it is nowadays, if Doyle were never born.
Born in 1933, in Longworth, TX, Doyle Brunson seemed to be destined to become a successful man from an early age. He played basketball, ran track, and after high school, he was named one of the best basketball players in the state of Texas. NBA teams showed great interest in him, however, his sports career came to an abrupt end when he hurt his knee during work.
He used to play poker before, but when it became clear that he wouldn't be able to pursue sports on the level that he wanted to, poker became his first priority, and I wouldn't say it was a bad choice at all, as currently, his life tournament earnings total a staggering $5,100,000.
Besides poker, he's also known for betting on a variety of other events/games too.
He got married in 1962, and had four children: Cheryl, Pam, Doyla and Todd. Todd is presently following in his father's footsteps, as he too is a successful poker player and co-author of one of Doyle's poker strategy books.
Doyle Brunson wrote what many people regard as the Bible of Poker, ("
Doyle Brunson's Super System: A Course in Power Poker
") as well as a couple of other
poker books such as; ("
Doyle Brunson's Super System II
" and "
According to Doyle
")
As far as poker accomplishments go, he is quite unparalleled in the world of professional poker. He is one of only two players to take home two WSOP main event bracelets, and he is the owner of no less than 10 WSOP bracelets altogether. In that respect, he's only second to
Phil Hellmuth, who has 11.
An interesting trivia about his 2 consecutive WSOP main event victories, which came in 1976 and 1977, is that he won the final hand with exactly the same two pocket cards, T,2, and the same full house (tens full of deuces)
Bragging a career in poker, which spans over the better part of 50 years, Doyle remains an active poker player to this day. He plays in one of the richest cash games in the world (quite successfully I might add) an $4,000/8,000 FL Holdem cash game in Bobby's Room at the Bellagio. He won the WPT Legends of Poker event in 2004, and he takes part in pretty much every important poker event. (he was eliminated from the 2007 WSOP main event while holding an A,Q – a hand that bears his name in Texas).
The story behind the nickname "Texas Dolly" is a pretty interesting one as well: Jimmy Snyder used to incorrectly pronounce "Texas Doyle" and it just stuck. Nowadays, his friends and acquaintances simply call him "Dolly".
Doyle Brunson : Poker Player
