Todd Brunson, also known as Todd Alijondro, is an American professional poker player who was born on August 7, 1969 in Texas. He has been nicknamed “Darkhorse” after he outlasted professional pros like Chip Reese in a tournament where he was considered to be the least likely to win. He is the son of the legendary poker pro Doyle Brunson and currently lives in Las Vegas with his wife. Though he was the son of a poker legend, Todd Brunson did not learn the game when he was young. He started playing poker when he was studying law at the Texas Tech University and he dropped out before his senior year to become a pro. Todd Brunson proved himself to be an able player in his own right without leaning on his father to learn the nuances of the game. He won his first place in a $200,000 Diamond Jim Brady tournament at the Bicycle Club in Los Angeles, when he was just 21 years old and it was the start of a fine career.
In the year 2000, Todd Brunson started taking part in international poker tournaments. He outperformed almost the entire list of entrants to be the runner-up in the Jack Binion World Poker Open (WPO) Event 19 - Main Event No-Limit Hold'em to earn $119,310 in prize money. In August 2002, Todd Brunson made an impressive first-place finish at the Bellagio Pot-Limit Hold'Em tournament, and bagged $27,280.
In 2004, he held the title in the Festa al Lago II, No-Limit Hold'em event and walked away with cash prize of $158,861. He was also the runner-up in the 2004 Plaza Ultimate Poker Challenge, No-Limit Hold'em event held in Las Vegas.
In 2005, Todd Brunson took part in the 36th Annual World Series of Poker and outlasted all participants in Event 21 - WSOP Limit Omaha Hi/Lo. By ranking first in the event, he won his first WSOP bracelet and $255,945 in prize money. Todd Brunson and Doyle Brunson became the only father and son duo to win WSOP championship in the same year. Adding to his bankroll was his sixth-place finish in the 36th Annual World Series of Poker, Event #35 - WSOP Pot-Limit Omaha, 2005 with $77,550 cash prize. In 2005, he finished second in the Mirage Poker Showdown/WPT Event Season 4, Heads up No-Limit Hold'em and took home $61,110.
Apart from his many successes at poker tables, Todd Brunson also tried his hand at writing and contributed to his father’s Super System 2, the sequel to Super System, by writing the section on Seven Card Stud High Low Eight or Better. Doyle Brunson’s Super System is considered to be the “Bible” of the poker game by most professional poker players.
Todd Brunson prefers high stakes cash games rather than tournaments and spends most of his time in playing cash games. Apart from participating in live games, Todd Brunson plays online poker at his father’s online poker room, Doyles Room. Instead of being overwhelmed by his famous father, Todd Brunson has carried forward the legacy of his name with aplomb.
Todd Brunson - Career Milestones