Doyle Brunson gambles with Death

Still got some gamble.

Two-time WSOP World Champion Doyle Brunson is well-known as one of the biggest gamblers in the world, but he's literally putting his life on the line in his latest bet.

It all began when Mack Rawden wrote the CinemaBlend article "100 Most Likely People to Die in 2009" and listed Brunson in 16th place with a 10% chance to die from obesity. Perhaps Rawden was unaware that Brunson has lost 130 pounds in the past five years.

Brunson wrote about it in his blog, calling Rawden a "clown" and then remarking, "... he said it was a 10% chance I would die. I would like to lay 10-1 for any amount if anybody knows this joker."

Sure enough, some phone calls were made, and Rawden accepted the bet for $1,000 (which means Brunson would pay out $10,000), with all the winnings going to the American Cancer Society.

One of Brunson's poker colleagues will hold the bet, with the possible list of trustees including Jack Binion, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Bobby Baldwin, Jennifer Harman and Mike Sexton.

You can read more about the slightly macabre bet by going to DoylesRoom.com

Brunson, currently 75 years old, is considered to be the most accomplished poker player in the history of the game. He holds 10 WSOP bracelets and is often considered the "Godfather of Poker." He revolutionized the game in the 1980s by releasing poker strategy book Super/System and followed it up with the popular Super/System 2.

It's not the first time that someone has counted Brunson out. In the early 1960s Brunson was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his throat and the prognosis was grave: doctors gave him several months to live, as the tumor was quickly spreading toward his brain.

Ever the gambler, Brunson chose to try a risky surgery as his last hope. When all was said and done, he was pronounced cancer free.