Doyle Brunson Biography
Doyle Brunson is one of those poker celebrities that most avid poker enthusiasts immediately recognize. He has won the World Series of Poker championship two times, which may not be many times considering other notable players in the game. However, Brunson has made poker what it is today. He co-wrote what is considered the 'Bible' of poker that many people still use to this day when they are getting started. Brunson has also made sure that the game is played with peers that respect the honor and the honesty that comes along with playing poker.
Unlike many other notable names in the game of poker, Brunson did not grow immersed in the game. He grew up in West Texas and from the very beginning was a talented athlete. So much so that he was drafted to play for the Laker's. However, a knee injury threw Brunson off at that career path. But, Brunson still needed an outlet for that competitive adrenaline that he was seeking that he could no longer get with basketball, which is when he turned to the poker table.
So to satisfy this competitive urge, Brunson began making his way around the tables in Texas. However, after marrying his wife, he found that it was getting harder and harder to find games that he could play in Texas because basically every game he played in, he won. And people were no longer wanting to play with someone that would also win. Plus, the crime in the areas in which the bigger games were at was very high, so much so that Brunson was robbed and had guns pointed at him many times. Because of this, Brunson moved his family to Las Vegas, the city known for its poker games.
After establishing himself in Las Vegas as a worthy opponent, he went on to win the World Series of Poker game in 1976 and 1977. Strangely, he won with the same hand each time, a full house. After winning these games, Brunson sat down to write his book that became an instant classic. However, Brunson did take a lot of heat from fellow players that were very upset that he would leak the secrets of how to win when playing poker. However, the public accepted it with open arms, and the interest in poker began to soar. After the success of that book, Brunson wrote yet another book entitle "According to Doyle" in which he speaks of his wins and the aspects that he learned. From this book, people began to understand that Brunson was arguing that those who are professional gamblers needed to have a sense of honor and morals to know that the game went as well as it could.
Brunson in total has won nine World Series of Poker games, while also winning numerous amounts of money playing golf, which seems to come as natural as the game of poker to the man, he also still plays around the world in other high stake games. He is also an avid sports follower, who frequently bets large amounts of money on games, and also seems to come out on top.