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Why Is Doyle Brunson Known As The Godfather Of Poker?

The world of poker lost a legend in the wee hours of 14th May 2023. The world woke up to the heartbreaking news of the passing away of Doyle Brunson. The poker legend leaves behind a legacy that will be remembered, cherished and spoken about in the world of poker for ages to come. 

If you have ever read or heard about Brunson, you have most certainly come across the words ‘Godfather of Poker’ being used synonymously with Brunson’s name. But why was he named so, and what’s the history behind that title? Let’s find out!

Why Is Doyle Brunson Known As The Godfather Of Poker?

There are multiple reasons why Doyle Brunson was given an interesting title. The 89-year-old earned the title of ‘Godfather of poker’ because of his enormous contributions to the game of poker and his long-standing poker career as a professional player.

Brunson has been actively playing poker ever since the 1950s and has won several poker tournaments in his career. He holds the record of winning the second-highest number of World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, with 10 WSOP bracelets gracing his shelves. These 10 bracelets include two WSOP Main Event one’s which he first won in 1976. The next year, in 1977, he went on to defend his WSOP Main Event title, thus becoming one of the early players to win the WSOP Main Event back-to-back after Johnny Moss.

Apart from his personal achievements, Brunson is also credited for popularising the Texas Hold’em variant of the game, which is widely popular today. His contributions to the variant of the game have also earned him the title of ‘Texas Dolly,’ a name he used for his social media handles. 

‘Godfather Of Poker’ Doyle Brunson Passes Away At 89

Doyle Brunson Books

Brunson has authored a book titled ‘Super/System’, which is to date widely regarded as one of the most important books on poker. It was initially self-published in 1978 and was credited for transforming poker players. The book gave ordinary players an insight into how professionals like him played and won.

The book was so successful that an updated revision titled ‘Super/System 2’ was later published in the year 2004. This revised version had contributions from other top players like Bobby Baldwin, Mike Caro, David Sklansky, Chip Reese, and Joey Hawthorne, apart from Brunson himself. Apart from that, he also authored books like ‘How I made one million dollars playing poker,’ ‘Poker Wisdom of a Champion,’ which was originally published as ‘According to Doyle’ by Lyle Stuart in 1984.

Doyle Brunson Hand

For obvious reasons, the T2 hand is popularly known as the ‘Doyle Brunson’ hand. Brunson took down two back-to-back WSOP Main Events with the same starting hand, which led to the T2 hand being called Doyle Brunson hand. Know the complete history here. 

Owing to his contributions and his popularity, Brunson has earned the title of ‘Godfather of poker.’ The title highlights his legacy in the game, which will continue to inspire generations of poker players. 

For more news and the latest updates in poker, keep reading Gutshot Magazine. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram.

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