Doyle Brunson (born August 10, 1933) is a record-breaking American professional poker player. With 10 WSOP bracelets, eponymous tournament and hand, the distinction of being the first person to win a $1 million cash prize and a prime poker pro for a son (Todd Brunson), Doyle Brunson is hailed a living legend in poker circles. Currently, he is also the senior living member of the Poker Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1988.
Doyle Brunson discovered athletics at an early age. Born in a tiny Texan town, he would often have to run errands to neighboring communities - and run he did. Running soon turned into his main athletic pursuit (despite prefering basketabll), and in 1950 he won the Texas Interscholastic Track Meet. A few years later he was forced to quit sports due to a serious leg injury, and turned his attention to academics, majoring in administrative education.
While Doyle Brunson began playing poker in college, it wasn't until he had become a salesman that the the thought of playing for a living first entered his mind. He won a month's wages in three hours' time playing five card draw on his first day of work. Brunson soon resigned to become a full-time player. His early career consisted of illegal games in Forth Worth together with fellow poker legends Amarillo Slim and Sailor Roberts. The triad traveled around the region, encountering dodgy characters and pooling their winnings. They went to Las Vegas together - only to lose all of their hard-won money. Thinking about his future - he once said he had to avoid hijacking several times - as well as his family (he married wife Louise in 1962), Doyle Brunson left the illegal circuit and began playing independently. He soon made a name for himself in the poker scene. It wasn't until 1972, however, that he entered his first WSOP event. He came in third at the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship. Four years later he made the first place with 10-2 - a hand that later became known as a Doyle Brunson. The 1977 event saw him winning with the exact same hand. Then came the hit 1978 poker guide book Super/System, which he co-wrote together with other players. 30 years later many players still swear by it.
Throughout the three decades that followed Brunson maintained his reputation as the world's greatest player. While the poker arena now features many young shooting stars, there is still no one quite like Brunson - as he made clear in 2005, when he won the newly-established WPT championship. Considering his list of previous achievements, theres' no telling which record Doyle Brunson might break next.
Doyle Brunson - Landmark Victories
2008 39th WSOP
$50,000 H.O.R.S.E.
06/25/2008 $124,320
2007 38th WSOP
$10,000 World Championship Pot Limit
07/01/2007 $123,967
2006 37th WSOP
$50,000 H.O.R.S.E.
07/12/2006 $274,560
2005 36th WSOP
$5,000 Short Handed No Limit Hold'em
06/29/2005 $367,800
2004 WPT Legends of Poker
$5,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship
08/28/2004 $1,198,260
1991 22nd WSOP
$2,500 No Limit Hold'em
05/1991 $208,000