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Doyle Brunson

Doyle Brunson


Last Updated: 11/23/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Married
Age: 76
Sign: Leo

City: Las Vegas
State: Nevada
Country: US
Signup Date: 5/31/2006

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Monday, November 23, 2009 
I enjoy reading other poker player’s blogs. I like reading the thoughts of the younger guys and their problems because I’ve been through just about all of what they say. So when I read Daniel Negreanu’s blog about the fact that he was unsure of what he wanted to do with his life. I thought to myself it’s too late for that little buddy. You are a poker player and it’s too late in life to do anything else. I went through the same struggles and then one day woke up that nobody has as good a life as poker players. I particularly like Lee Watkinson’s blog as he says what he thinks. Everybody likes Lee’s controversial remarks as evidenced by all the comments at the bottom of his page. Enjoy being poker players guys.

December is right around the corner and that month has lots of bad memories for me, but also some great Christmas times. Chip Reese and Benny Binion both died in December along with a host of high school and college friends. Also, Dec. 7th is when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor where my Dad’s brother was killed. I’ve lived through lots of wars, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and the latest wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and I lost family and friends in the 1st three. We still have our freedom and have a lot to be thankful as Thanksgiving approaches for all the sacrifices our military forces have made.

I look like I’ve been in a fight. The dermatologist took off nine spots on my face. He froze eight and removed a skin cancer off my lip. Now I can enjoy the fun stuff this week. I go to the dentist for some implants and later I get a colonoscopy. Can’t wait!

Time marches on. That’s something every poker player has to be aware of. I try to monitor my play regularly because of my age. I’m lucky to still be hanging in there but as I’ve always said, poker players tend to lose at least part of their game after reaching the age of 50. Even though I won 16 straight in TV cash games, I seem to have reverted to a defensive style of play that I’m not comfortable with. Even though the way your opponent plays dictates the way you play, I’ve found myself not following my instincts as I’ve always done. The truth is some of these “pros” play so bad in these games it’s hard to lose. More importantly, it seems I’m almost breaking even in the big cash games at the Bellagio.

Are today’s players better than the old timers? Nah, different but not better. I’ve always advised people to play at the level you can win at. I’m not sure I can move down and play in the smaller games. I’m going to give myself plenty of time, but if I don’t win in 2010, I’m gonna do it.

-DB
5:46 PM 
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Thursday, November 12, 2009 
Congratulations to Joe Cada for winning the WSOP final table. Joe is the youngest player to win and I met him at the party in the ESPN Zone. He seemed to be a very likable 21 year old and I believe he will do his best to promote poker. I hear the new poker term is when you lose with AK vs. AQ will be you got “moon’ed”. Of course they will be referencing the hand Darvin Moon knocked Phil Ivey out with.....
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“Go die under a deck of cards” is what Joan Rivers told me to do. Unknowingly, a ....Miami.... radio station scheduled Joan and myself for interviews the same day. One of the announcers on the show had read my blog where I said f someone gave Joan Rivers a penny for her intelligence, she would have to give a refund. I was trashing Mrs. Rivers for her comments about poker players on the TV show, “The Apprentice”. Joan was mad at Annie Duke, who was winning the game hands down, but included the entire poker world, calling us “trash, gangsters and morons”. So until Joan apologizes to all the poker world, I’ll continue to insult her at every opportunity. She also bragged about having an IQ of 135, Annie Duke must have one of 270 because she was twice as smart as Joan on the TV show.....
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I guess my autobiography hit the bookstores yesterday. I had telephone calls from radio stations across ....America.... for interviews but I’m going to curtail those, also.....
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Things are finally winding down now where I can get some much needed rest. Since I got food poisoning 10 days ago, I’ve been groggy. I play in the HSP this Friday and then it’s clear sailing on my schedule. I’m going for 17 straight wins on TV cash games. I wonder if Friday the 13th is a bad omen? Nah, I don’t believe in that stuff. ....

-DB
9:59 PM 
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Sunday, November 01, 2009 
Well, I thought I would be pulling for Phil Ivey and ..Jeff.. Shulman at the WSOP final table. But when Daniel wanted to bet Ivey over Moon, I had to take Moon who has 5 times the chips of Ivey. It is a must-win bet so probably we won’t have action. Sorry Phil, I won’t be rooting for you now. Business is business.....
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The game is going every night at Bobby’s Room. It’s really great to get up and know there will be somewhere to go. I’ve been breaking almost even every night and I was worrying that I might be playing bad. I try to analyze the hands I play every night before I go to sleep and I couldn’t see that I was doing anything wrong. Finally, I made a nice win last night so maybe there is still some gas in my tank.....
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I try to slow down, but things just keep piling up on me. I have to do an interview with the Associated Press, meet ESPN for my thoughts on the WSOP final table (what thoughts), go to dinner with the winner of the Vegas Experience from DoylesRoom.com and then the CEO and marketing staff are coming in for all kinds of meetings. The Hall of Fame dinner is also this week and I’m supposed to do the “shuffle up and deal” for the final table, followed by a book signing. My dentist is waiting with some implants that are overdue and my wife tells me that I should move to the Bellagio because I never spend any time with her. Oh well, nobody ever said life was easy.....
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This Twitter business is getting out of hand. My followers are going up close to 3,000 a day. Don’t know why but with 115,000 following, I’ve starting blocking all the negative and name calling tweeters. I’ve got enough problems without folks taking their frustrations out on me.....
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I just finished another interview with a national magazine. They asked me what I attributed my success and longevity to. I had never thought about it but I came up with a pretty good answer. I told them I never let self-made limitations happen. I’ve always pushed the envelope in everything I do. Actually, that’s pretty profound, I surprise myself sometimes! ....
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-DB....
10:45 PM 
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009 

There is finally some poker action in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio.  We have lowered the stakes and more players are coming in. It’s really dumb to play so high no one except the ultra rich guys can play. I was completely exhausted when I got t..hr..ough traveling but after playing poker for 4 straight days, I feel great again. It is really amazing how playing helps me. I guess I’m a junkie after all these years.

.. ..

DoylesRoom.com is putting on a “Twitter Followers Freeroll”  because I’ve got over 100,000 followers on Twitter. The winner gets a weekend in Vegas, dinner with me and partying with the young DoylesRoom pros. I guess they decided I couldn’t handle the partying and they may be right. The tournament is on this Sunday at 6pm Eastern time.

.. ..

I’ll tweet the password at 4pm Eastern the same day because our tournaments hold a few thousand players at a time. You have to have an account at DoylesRoom along with the password to play.

.. ..

Cardoza publishing has already ordered the second printing of my autobiography because of the unexpected number of advance sells. It is going to hit the bookstores Nov. 10th and I’ve still got mixed feelings about writing this book.

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I appreciate all the tweets, emails and phone calls expressing concerns over my toy poodle ....Casper.....  ....Casper.... jumped off a desk and knocked both his hips out of socket and Louise has to carry him everywhere because he can’t walk.  I should say couldn’t walk because he is able to walk on level ground now, he just can’t jump or put any weight on his back legs. ....Casper.... is tough and I expect him to last a lot longer as he is only 13 years old.

.. ..

I’m back in retirement on pro football. I bet on ....Minn.... +6 points when Pitt made 2 defensive touchdowns in the last 5 minutes to beat me. I had ....Miami.... +6 against N.O. Saints and was ahead 24-3 at the half and lost. Then, I had ....Houston.... -3 and was ahead 21-0 at the half and managed to tie that one 24-21. I’m sure I’m going to get lots of sympathy, all poker players are unlucky when betting on sports.

.. ..

-DB

12:20 AM 
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009 

After a week long trip to Texas for my induction in the Athletic Hall of Fame at my alma mater, Hardin Simmons University, I’m back home and it’s going to take a nuclear bomb to get me out of Vegas until next year. I had a great time visiting with old classmates, some of whom I hadn’t seen in over 50 yeas. There were about 15 of my ex-teammates who attended and I was on my best behavior and never mentioned the many times the school had rejected me because of my profession. But I understand and would like to let bygones be bygones.....

.. ..

The most notable thing about ....Texas.... is that the recession hasn’t affected it very much. The farms are white with a good cotton crop, the oil wells are pumping and the biggest saviour of all are the wind farms. The wind towers are amazing with each one generating enough electricity for 35-40 homes. There are thousands of the giant generators as far as you can see as you drive along the interstate highways. It makes you wonder why these wind farms aren’t all across the ....USA..... It only takes a 6 mile per hour wind to turn them. If we had enough of them, we would be out of the bondage the ..Middle East.. has us in. ....

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I went out to the little town of ....Longworth.... where I grew up. It is almost a ghost town with maybe 10 families living there. The old Brunson house is long gone but there is a trailer parked on the lot and the man living there invited us in to look around. Some of the things are still there, the old chicken coops, the barn where we had our cows and an old root cellar I helped dig in 1949. I enjoy going back every decade or so because it makes me realize you can’t go back, you have to go forward with your life.....

.. ..

Congrats to Mike Sexton on being selected for the poker Hall of Fame. It is a well-deserved honor and Harrah’s has some great plans for his induction. The time is getting close for the WSOP Final Table, also. I wish all of the guys good luck but I’m pulling for Ivey and Schulman. I’m sure it will be a lot of fun for everyone.  

.. ..

Avery Cardoza, my publisher, called me today and my autobiography has come in. It will be in the bookstores Nov. 10th and I’ve got mixed feelings about having done this book. Everyone seems to like it so maybe it will be o.k. The author of the book, Mike Coc..hr..an, was at the presentation dinner at my University and we had a nice visit. It is absolutely amazing how fast time can go, it seems like yesterday I was in school. I also saw Ann, my college fiance who looks much better than I do. She probably didn’t have as tough a life as me. I certainly hope not! ....

.. ..

-DB

11:51 PM 
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009 
Back from Montana! I’ll never complain about hot weather again. It was 3 degrees on the mountain my grandson lives on, along with 8 inches of snow. That cold cut through me like a knife. We had talked about having the Brunson Christmas at my place on the Flathead Lake but they can scratch that!
There are so many deer in upper Montana that you to be super careful not to hit one while driving. I saw 6 bodies on the side of the road on a 20 mile trip. There is all kind of wildlife. My friend has a large pond stocked with fish. He told me the eagles and osprey take 60-70 fish a day out of it. I had better be careful letting Casper run around outside because one of those big eagles could pick him up and fly away with him. I’ll bet Casper would get one good bite of that eagle if that happened.

I was there for the Todd Brunson Montana Challenge poker tournament. The weather was so bad we had less than 100 players but everyone had a good time. I told Todd to have his next on in the summertime. Of course, my daughter Pam was the “Last Brunson Standing.”

No disrespect intended, but these poker shows are awful. Full Tilt’s “Face the Ace” and Poker Stars “Million Dollar Challenge” are so bad, it’s embarrassing. There is no skill involved in either show and I can’t imagine getting an audience that will watch the shows. As I travel around, the High Stakes cash games are the ones all the fans talk about and I agree with them that they are by far the most interesting. Speaking of that, I read where A.J. Benza is being replaced on GSN’s High Stakes Poker show. That’s too bad, I like A.J.’s subtle sense of humor. Vanessa Rousso is named as his likely replacement. I’m pro-Vanessa so I think she will fit in nicely with the old comic Gabe Kaplan.

The golf-poker tournament in Orlando with David Leadbetter has been postponed because of some complications. I’m glad because along with Mike Caro, Daniel Negreanu, Todd Brunson and Dewey Tomko, I was one of the poker instructors. To tell you the truth, I’m traveled out! I look forward to staying home for a while. Harrah’s has asked me to do a few things in conjunction with the WSOP final table that I’m glad to do, but it would have been a tight fit to be back from Orland in time to do them.

My autobiography is supposed to be out November 10th and I’m doing a book signing right after the final table is completed. I’m having a special edition that I’m going to give to the final  nine. Also, at the book signing, or right afterwards, we are having a press conference to announce the signing of the 5th player to the Brunson 10 at DoylesRoom.com  I’m really pleased at the selection of this young man, as I am with the previous four.

I’ve started reading blogs. Again, I find the blogs about poker hands extremely boring. The same thing with the tweets on Twitter; does anyone really care about the hand by hand update of a poker tournament? If it was a real poker game and someone tweeted they had just won a million dollar pot, it would interest me.  But I guess some folks like the updates, that’s why they make chocolate and vanilla – different tastes.

After saying I want to stay home, I’m leaving in the morning for Abilene, Texas. My University is inducting me into their athletic Hall of Fame. After being turned down for 40 years I have mixed feelings, but all my old teammates will be there, so I’m going down and will be on my best behavior.

-DB
7:53 PM 
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Tuesday, October 06, 2009 
Home at last! I’ve still got pretty good endurance but 3 1/2 weeks in Europe got the best of me. In the main event at the WSOPE we were down to seventeen players at the dinner break. I was a little short stacked with $200,000 and I could see it was going to be a long night to get to the final table and it would be another long day after it was down to the final nine, so I decided to play very fast and to accumulate a lot of chips or go out. I moved in the first hand after the dinner break and was eliminated.
I had hurt my left hip and left knee somewhere and with my bad right leg I was in a lot of pain. These long hours in the tournaments may be a little too much for me. But as I always say, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
Congrats to Barry Shulman for winning the tournament. Wouldn’t it be something if his son Jeff, who is at the final table of the WSOP, could win. That would be a record that would never be broken and what a great thing for poker. I read where day 4, which was when I went broke, lasted 15 hours and the final table lasted 17 hours. That would have been tough if I could have been lucky enough to have won.
Betting on the NFL is suicidal. I lose every close game besides wasting my time watching. Gone are the days when you could determine the winners. I’ll spend my spare time playing poker at DoylesRoom.
I’ve got to jump on a plane for Todd’s tournament in Montana this weekend. That’s the last thing I need after 3 1/2 weeks in Europe but I’ve got to support my son. Layne Flack and Gavin Smith were supposed to be there to play but both are now doubtful. So, my daughter Pam, Hoyt Corkins, Todd, Ed Brogden, Ken Hale and myself will be the pros playing. We should have a good time even though the weather is below freezing and there are fires and storms going on right now. The waves got so high on the Flathead Lake it wrecked my dock, my jetski and my pontoon boat. The wind blew 50 to 60 miles per hour for a day and a half. That’ s a scary lake when storms hit.
After watching a TV show featuring a handicapped preacher, I feel pretty bad about complaining about pain, injuries, or anything else. This young man was born with no arms or legs; only two small feet attached to his body. What a dynamic speaker! Just listening to him makes all your problems seem insignificant. He has written a book called, “No Limbs, No Limit.” I can’t wait to read it.
-DB
6:52 PM 
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Monday, September 28, 2009 

I played day one of the WSOPE where I could get home if I  got knocked out.  I made it through and have 93,000 in chips when the average is 45,000.  I rested through starting day two and we don’t start until 5:30 p.m. today because of a Jewish holiday.

Besides my bad right leg, I’ve managed to hurt my knee and my hip on my left leg.  I hurt all over in this damp cold weather and can’t get any relief from the pain.  I’ve seen everything the hotel has to offer by way of movies in the room, been to three movies outside the hotel, been to Leeds Castle, Hever Castle (the childhood home of Anne Boleyn), been to a portrait gallery, and now the only thing I am anxious to see is the Las Vegas skyline as the plane touches down there.  Then home to see my lovely wife, my daughter, and my two dogs.  Europe is ok, but there is no place like home!

I’ve always liked Phil Hellmuth and have defended his tantrums because that is Phil being Phil, but these grand entrances he makes are too much!  He came to my table dressed as Julius Caesar along with trumpets and scantily clad girls.  It embarrassed me just being there.  I would have liked to applied for the role of Brutus.  I am a poker purist and stuff like that detracts too much from what a great game poker is.

In my opinion Harrah’s should change the WSOPE venue every year.  London is just too expensive for the beginning pros to play.  The Empire Casino is where we play now and it needs to be bigger.  The tournament would draw many more players if it was in a different European city each year.

I am very sorry to hear Bob Stupak passed.  Regardless of his shortcomings, Bob was an important part of Las Vegas history.  My condolences to his family.
-DB
6:32 PM 
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Tuesday, September 22, 2009 



I reluctantly left the beautiful city of Budapest and went to Nottingham for the English Open.  I flew into London and took a 2 ½ hour ride in a nice limo to get there.  Nottingham is a quaint small city and the people that held the event were extremely efficient and really took care of us.  Rake The Rake was the sponsor of the Open and there were over 200 entries.  Karim, the owner of Rake The Rake took care of the publicity for DoylesRoom.  He was a terrific host.

Phil Hellmuth was there but we didn’t carry the US banner very well and we were both eliminated the first day.  I had eight touring pros at my table and they played extremely well.  Phil left for London but I decided to stay for a couple days more.

We took a ride up to Sherwood Forest looking for Robin Hood and his band but couldn’t find him.  Lots of the business places carried Robin’s name and his folklore tales were told everywhere we went.  One of the most interesting places we visited was the Nottingham Palace where Robin Hood’s adversary, the Sheriff of Nottingham, lived in the olden days.  It was a big castle with underground caves that went for miles under the city.  Also, the oldest pub in England was dug into the rocks around the castle.

Now we are back in London for the WSOP Europe.  This damp, cold weather doesn’t agree with me but we are having a big press party on Wednesday night to announce the signing of the fourth member of the Brunson 10.  I can’t tell you his name but we are in his home country.

After the final event I can’t wait to get back to Las Vegas and see Louise, Pam, and my dogs.  Todd and Anjela got here yesterday so maybe I won’t be so homesick with them here.  Still, I’m ready for some Vegas sunshine!

-DB
10:44 PM 
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Friday, September 18, 2009 
I don’t know what I expected Budapest to be, but it was entirely different.  The city is absolutely gorgeous with the Danube River flowing right through the center.  Budapest is two cities - Buda and Pest, the oldest being Pest.  There are ten or more beautiful bridges across the Danube and most of them are breathtaking.  During World War II the Germans bombed all the bridges but they have been restored.  The people were nice and seemed to be genuinely very friendly.
 
When I went to Manila and Macau I was surprised that so many people knew who I was; but it seemed that in Hungary not only did lots of folks know me, it seemed everyone had a translated SuperSystem and wanted an autograph.  Ok, I finally get it.  Poker players are rock stars!  LOL  The truth is we are a bunch of lucky people that came along at the right time.  I don’t see any reason to think we are celebs.  I just hope everybody remembers who they are and where they came from.  I guess this is just the power of television.

I was surprised again in Budapest when a 1960 Cadillac convertible picked us up at the airport, courtesy of the Doyle Brunson Poker Klub.  I remember  a couple of years ago some poker players from Hungary had asked permission to use the name but I had forgotten about it.  The Klub had a party for us with a small tournament, gave us 24-hour car service, took us on a helicopter tour and a river cruise.  The Klub was one of the nicest ones in Budapest and the management team went the extra mile to be sure our stay was an enjoyable one.  It was!

We also went to Buda Castle to a wine tasting festival and afterwards to an old-style Hungarian restaurant for a great meal.  Then we went to a night club called Bed and Beach where we ran into friends Sigmund from Finland and Karim from RaketheRake.  I thought the XS at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas was big but this was acres and acres of people dancing.

This was one of my most memorable trips and I just wish my family could have been with me.  Hopefully next year!

-DB
10:08 PM 
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