Doyle Brunson, aka "Texas Dolly," is a legend to the game of poker. A two-time WSOP winner (1976 & 1977), Brunson has won nine championship bracelets. He was the first player to win a million dollar poker tournament and is best known for his comprehensive book Super System, in which he chronicled his poker strategy. This book has influenced many players and is considered one of the definitive manuals for playing—and winning—at poker. In fact, the book became so popular that Brunson had to change his game strategy because other players had learned his secrets.

Born in Longworth, Texas, in 1933, Brunson began playing poker while attending college at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. When a knee injury ended his dream of playing professional basketball, he began earning money by playing poker. After earning a master’s degree in Administrative Education, Brunson took his only “regular” job, but gave it up shortly after receiving his first paycheck. Since he knew that he could earn more money playing poker, he took to the roads to play professionally. For years, he traveled around his home state of Texas with other professionals, namely Amarillo Slim Preston and his mentor Johnny Moss.

After finding it difficult to find games to join in Texas, Brunson moved his wife and four children to Las Vegas. Today, he is known not only for his skills at playing tournament poker, but also for his skills at playing high-stake games—two entirely different worlds that few players are able to successfully navigate.

Fun Facts and Finishes

• While in college, Brunson was drafted to play professional basketball for the Minnesota Lakers until a knee injury ended his career.
• The "Doyle Brunson" is a full house – tens full of deuces, which is the exact hand that won him the WSOP in both 1976 and 1977.
• In 2004, he was inducted into the Poker Walk of Fame
• In 2004, he won The Legends of Poker World Poker Tour event