The House That Doyle Built: RIP Doyle Brunson
The greatest and most influential poker player of all time, Doyle Brunson, has passed away at 89 years old, according to a family statement on Sunday night.
Doyle Brunson was a central figure in poker ever since he won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 1976 for $230,000. He would win the Main Event in 1974, putting him in rarefied air with three other people who won back-to-back Main Events. He would win these with the ten-deuce off-suit, dubbing the hand the ‘Doyle Brunson’ or ‘Texas Dolly.’
Doyle would win ten WSOP bracelets, ranging from Main Events and Seven-Card Stud events to HORSE and Short Handed No-Limit Hold’em. Doyle was a complete poker player in every sense, an art slowly being eroded in the hyper No-Limit Hold’em-focused era we live in today.
Doyle Brunson, 1933-2023
— Vegas Visual (@vegas_visual) May 15, 2023
World Series of Poker champion, 1976 & 1977
1976📸@unlvsc pic.twitter.com/yrPeIgbMob
Whether it was his creating a strategy that would put him lightyears ahead of any competition in backroom Texas poker cash games or his dedication to tournaments that saw him glide to 1st place finishes, Doyle was a poker trailblazer. He would be one of the first people to create a holistic strategy to poker and allow the masses to learn from his book Super Systems, again paving the way for what we see today with Upswing Poker, Run It Once and other poker coaching platforms.
I’m so lucky I had the opportunity to truly understand Doyle’s greatness by sitting across the table from him.
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) May 15, 2023
“Legend” feels inadequate.
We don’t have a word for what Doyle Brunson is to poker.
Rest in Peace ♥️ pic.twitter.com/IjCDrNG96c
The poker world we see today was forged in large parts by the hands of Doyle Brunson. The Vegas Strip and the cardrooms that occupy it is the house that Doyle built. The game will forever be short-handed without Texas Dolly, a poker seat unfilled by someone we should all be indebted to.
Lone Star Beginnings and Las Vegas Ventures
An unfortunate knee injury would cut a promising NBA career short for Doyle, but a chanced-upon poker game during the start of his sales career would see him win a salary in just a few hours, and he would never look back.
Your loss is felt by many. Rest In Peace to the legendary Doyle Brunson. pic.twitter.com/2VIdvJ0qpz
— Horseshoe Las Vegas (@HorseshoeVegas) May 15, 2023
He would seek out more poker games across Texas, pairing up with legendary poker figure Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston and others to seek out the best games in the state. This would incur much danger, primarily due to the illegal nature of poker at the time and the gun-friendly nature of the Lone Star poker players.
can’t believe this day has come - you will always be held high in our hearts, the man, the myth, the legend & THE GODFATHER of poker baby! Mr Brunson, you made poker what it is baby! thank you for what you give to all of us baby! RIP Mr Doyle Brunson THE GODFATHER OF POKER pic.twitter.com/TiwzjQfhCi
— Scotty Nguyen (@TheScottyNguyen) May 15, 2023
To find a safer venue for poker, Doyle sought out the bright lights of Las Vegas, which allowed him to play poker in a legal setting and not risk someone pulling a gun out every time they had a bad beat. Texas Dolly would never look back, winning the WSOP Main Event in 1976 and 1977. This would start a run to see him capture ten bracelets, putting him in tied-second behind Phil Hellmuth’s 16.
Becoming the Face of Poker and the Perfect Ambassador
After his last bracelet in 2005, Doyle would wind his tournament schedule down, citing the long hours required as the reason. He would still be a frequent face in the halls of the Rio, becoming a must-see for poker fans who traveled far and wide to get a glance at the godfather of poker.
I only got to meet him once, but spending hours editing his story makes it feel like I’ve known him forever.
— Matt Kiefer (@2littlemice) May 15, 2023
Doyle Brunson 1933-2023 pic.twitter.com/UYOMMnuQkk
No matter what was happening around him, Doyle always had time for people to shake his hand, ask questions, and get autographs. His dry sense of humor was something that would be authentic and brilliant, whether you saw it on his multiple appearances on High Stakes Poker or heard his Texas drawl in passing as he traveled to a mixed game bracelet event.
His dedication and love for poker were unmatched, as he was still firing WSOP events in 2021, playing in the Super Seniors and Main Events. Even as late as 2022, he was one of the faces of WPT and was playing in a televised high-stakes cash game with popular vloggers Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme, as well as high-stakes legend Phil Ivey. No matter what the occasion, Doyle always stepped up to the plate, creating a better poker world and community.
Your Inspiration’s Biggest Inspiration
It speaks volumes when the game’s biggest stars come out one after another and pay homage to Brunson. He was your hero’s hero and will leave an immeasurable impact on poker. Whether it was helping it through the rocky early years of legalization and bad press to the later years of overcoming scandals and frauds, Doyle was the one mainstay of class and decency in a game that sometimes sorely needed it.
RIP to a true legend, a bridge between three eras of gambling history. Doyle Brunson played poker with Titanic Thompson, who played with Arnold Rothstein. He saw it all and stayed in action for over 70 years. pic.twitter.com/POkeBGpomz
— David Hill (@davehill77) May 15, 2023
Doyle Brunson will now leave a vacuum in the poker world. His lack of presence at the WSOP will be felt, as will the loss of his calmness and measure in the world of poker. He leaves shoes that will not and cannot be filled, as the game of poker reflects on the passing of its greatest-ever player.
The entire team at PokerListings would like to pass on our thoughts and condolences to the Brunson family, friends, and close ones of Doyle Brunson, the most influential and greatest poker player.
Very nice writeup about Doyle, very fitting.
What a wonderful ambassador to the game of Poker. Heart felt wishes go out to his family and friends. He will definitely be missed.