Doyle Brunson - 10 Times WSOP Champion

Doyle Brunson has made such a name for himself in the world of poker that he has often been referred to as “the first” and the “Texas Dolly.”

Brunson Gets Famous as a Traveling Poker Shark

Doyle Brunson has been more than just a super poker player over the years. He for sure led the band of Texas Rounders – the traveling poker sharks and was also the first of high stakes hotel poker players in Vegas. To date, no one has won more World Series of Poker (WSOP) events as Doyle Brunson has – 10 is just unbelievable. This number includes two world championships back to back.

Brunson’s Super Talent Extends Further Than Poker

But clearly there is something that makes a poker player great, than just great poker playing. And Doyle has it. It’s personality, charisma, talent. This has been elucidated in his best selling book entitled, Doyle Brunson’s Super System: A Course in Power Poker which hit the top book stores in December 2002. So successful was this first book, that three years later he published Doyle Brunson’s Super System II. But these are just his two most recent books on poker that have been successful. Doyle has written a staggering 13 books all in all, and none of them have been duds.

Doyle Succeeds Despite Extremely Humble Beginnings

Life wasn’t always so plain sailing for Doyle Brunson. He really has been a rags to riches tale. His attitude to life has mimicked that of his attitude to poker – no matter what hand life deals you, all cards can become winners. He grew up in Texas as poor as can be but had a natural talent for everything that came his way. He was an ace athlete which he used to his advantage in college for basketball and track. But then his luck was to turn when his leg got shattered in an accident at the factory where he worked; that ended his NBA career with the Minneapolis Lakers. But God does work in mysterious ways and when this door closed, his poker one – which made him famous and rich – opened. Even when he was told he had 3 months to live from a cancer diagnosis, Doyle beat the odds and survived. 40 years later the man is still here to tell the tale. He has now been playing the game professionally for over 50 years and is still convinced that it’s not the cards you’re dealt, but how you play them, both at the table and in life.

Brunson’s Major Poker Wins

Along with his 10 WSOP wins, Brunson has made history by being the first player to win a million dollars in tournaments. He won the Main Event at the WSOP numerous times (being one of only 4 individuals to be able to make this claim) and was the first out of 5 players to have won both the WSOP Main Event and a World Poker Tour title. He was voted the number one most influential force in the world of poker by Bluff Magazine in 2006. There are more wins than this, but overall, it seems like Brunson just keeps hitting the jackpot.