Congratulations to the WPT winners.  I was pulling for David Benyamine to win but his second place finish along with Ralph Perry’s fourth place upholds ‘The Big Game’s’ honor.  I saw when David lost a couple of tough hands in the heads-up.  I’m sure Mike Watson is a worthy champion even though I haven’t played with him that I can remember. 

I see where the WPT has been signed on by Fox Sports Network.  That is probably a good move for them even though I have some personal problems with the Network.  They went back on their word on an issue a few years back.  I didn’t understand it at the time and still don’t.  Their excuse was ‘business is business’.  Most folks don’t put the same value on keeping their word as I do.  I might not play in any more WPT tournaments but that would probably be stupid on my part.  I remember the old saying, “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.” 

If you haven’t played poker at DoylesRoom you haven’t lived.  We have a rabbit cam that flashes what the next card would have been after you or your opponent folds; just another way to torture yourself and second guess what you should have done.  Just go to options and check ‘show rabbit cam cards’ and you will see how much fun it is to see what would have happened.  Just another improvement on what I believe is the best poker software in the poker sites. 

I’m pretty sure we are going to have another golf tournament on ESPN in early October.  High Stakes Entertainment secured a golf course near Orlando, Florida for the event.  That is a good choice because the players can bring their families for a nice vacation.  There are many theme parks, including Disney World, nearby.  There has to be at least a Two Million Dollar prize pool so it will be interesting to say the least. 

My autobiography has been put on hold for another year.  My publisher didn’t think the book was ready yet.  It wasn’t my decision but I feel badly for my co-author, Mike Cochran, who has put a lot of time and effort into getting the book written.  Mike is an old friend from way back in college but there is really nothing I can do about it.  Actually it will be easier on me to wait because my plate is full for the next few months and I couldn’t promote the book like they want me to. 

I’ve been watching the Maverick Marathon I tivoed during the WSOP.   The Starz Network had a 24 hour showing from the Western Channel on DSS.  They had a lot of poker players giving their remembrances of the series starring James Garner and Jack Kelley.  They had more shots of me than anyone else because I was the only one old enough to remember when Maverick first came on in 1957.  Scotty Nguyen, Hoyt Corkins, Mike Caro, Vanessa Russo, and T. J. Cloutier all had spots on the promos.  What I don’t understand is not one person has ever mentioned seeing it on T.V.  So many folks come up and say, “I watch you on T.V. all the time.”  Could it be that I am the only cowboy left? 

I’ve decided I am a sicko, degenerate gambler.  After being worn out from the WSOP I proceeded to go play in the Bellagio $15,000 tournament.  I made it through the first day but went out on the second day.  There were some really good side cash games and I played in those also; pretty stupid for a 74 year-old man who saw his hand trembling for the first time in his life.  One good thing is that I won in the cash games but I‘ve gotta get out of here and rest up before I do any more serious playing.

My son, Todd, is in tenth place with less than fifty players left at the Bellagio.  I sure would like to see him take down that $1,600,000 first place prize.  He is a fine player and is overdue for a win.  At least the playing hours are good.  You quit playing about 9:00 at night and can go home for a good night’s sleep.  I wish all the tournaments were like that; I would play in a lot more of them.

The action in a ten handed first day table is pretty slow so I picked up a book called The Zen Book to read between hands.  I know it is a book about Buddha but I’m not sure what their beliefs are.  I think they think Buddha is a god, but I’m not sure.  I have strong Christian beliefs so I’m not looking for any new religion but I’ve heard a lot about Zen so I read it.  I was really impressed by the wisdom that was in that book.  Most of the religions in the world have some good beliefs that have been written.  The main lesson I got out of the book was to be content with yourself.  I’m afraid I’ve always pushed myself at whatever I’ve done.

It looks like there are going to e about 40 ex-basketball players with their wives that are coming to Montana for our college reunion.  That is pretty good for a bunch of guys that played together over fifty years ago.  Most of them are teachers and preachers but all of them are really good guys and we have stayed in touch all these years.  I’m looking forward to seeing them. - DB

I’m trying to get enough energy to get to Montana and try to regroup.  Maybe this is just part of getting old but I’ve always laughed at people when they said they were tired.  I guess I was blessed with great endurance but it is catching up to me now.

Well, that’s enough whimpering about me.  When I look at the leaders in the WSOP I only recognize a few names.  I’m pulling for all the pros that are left but it is going to be extremely difficult.  It was good to see the number of entries didn’t go down and if the internet sites ever get going again, there is no telling where the WSOP will go.

My daughter, Pam, didn’t get to play at the WSOP because she had to have a stomach hernia repaired.  It’s too bad because she was really looking forward to it.  To make matters worse, her little toy poodle has a life threatening illness that the doctors can’t pin point.  I feel terrible for her because I know she is a real dog lover as I am.

The title of “The Last Brunson Standing” goes to Todd’s wife, Anjela, who made it to the second day with over 40,000 in chips.  Besides being a pretty good poker player, I think she is one of the best looking women poker players.  I am going down tomorrow to cheer her on.  Someone has to hold up the family name.  Todd and I certainly didn’t.

Country Western singer Andy Griggs who is representing DoylesRoom did himself proud by making it to the second day with over 60,000 in chips.  Andy sang the National Anthem one day and a song off his new album, “It’s All About The Money” the next day.  Andy hasn’t played much poker so I’ll be there to root for him along with Anjela. - DB

You talk about records!  Forget about how many cashes you have or how many bracelets.  Some day someone will break these records but I set one which will never be broken.  I’ve lost two scooters in the last three World Series of Poker.  Try and break that record!  I parked my scooter, which was one week old, outside the VIP room at the Rio and when I came out, it was gone.  Of course, I left the keys in it, but what kind of sicko steals a handicapped scooter?  Year before last during the WSOP I had dinner at the Bellagio, got my car out of valet, and went to my suite at the Rio.  When I parked, I noticed my scooter was not on the lift.  I have no idea where I lost it but I think it fell off the back of my car when I didn’t secure it properly.  Of course, the bottle of wine I had had with dinner had absolutely nothing to do with it.

I have to go to the Doylesroom party tonight.  I’m going to try to get home early because I have three days of book signings and interviews coming up. However I know how these things go when you get to these parties.  One thing for sure, I’m leaving my scooter at home tonight!

-DB

The tournament is about over for me now.  I have so many commitments for book signings, documentaries, and interviews; I don’t have time to play.

-DB

In retrospect, I can see I’m not the brightest bulb in the chandelier because all I had to do was sit there until one player busted out, but what the heck, I was trying to win the tournament.

Today, summer officially begins and this is the longest day of the year.  I’m taking a couple days off from poker, tournaments, and cash games.  I’m going to regroup and get ready for the 50k HORSE tournament on Wednesday.  If I don’t do well in that, I’ll be greatly disappointed.  For the life of me, I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong at the poker table.  Losing 5 sessions in a row at the cash game tells me I’m not playing the way I should.  I know it’s going to turn around.

I’m going to finish my top 5 poker players that I’ve seen abusing dealers.  The only living player to make my list is Sammy Farha.  He is unbelievable at times.  He talks softly but is very abusive with his language.  Puggy Pearson is also on my list.  I remember at the old Dunes card room, he got into a fight with a lady dealer name Kim.  When a male dealer jumped in to hold Pug back, Kim took off her high heel shoe and was beating Puggy on the head.  We laughed about that for years.  “Shoeshine” Nick Simpson was another player who berated dealers constantly.  He once urinated under the table on an unsuspecting dealer.  My last player was “Nigger Nate” Lanette.  I’m not being racist, that is what everyone called him.  He once bit a dealer’s ear off at the Stardust.  He came back the next day and gave the poor guy $5,000.  That was a lot of money in those days.  This list is too controversial to continue so I’m not going any further.  I am going to mention Johnny Chan who used to be bad with dealers but has reformed over the past few years.

Way to go John!

-DB

Another thing that is bothering me is my son Todd, and I are in the middle of a very unpleasant disagreement.  He is so stubborn and hard-headed (I wonder where he gets it from) it looks like I’ll have to bite the bullet and go talk to him.  I hope our argument hasn’t affected his playing, but I have always said you have to get your personal life in order if you are going to play your best poker.

A group of the older poker players have been talking about what poker players, dead or alive, have been the most abusive to dealers.  So I thought it would be interesting to list them; one each blog.

My all-time #1 is Stu Ungar.  He was so explosive and could erupt at any second.  He always took his frustrations out on the dealers, never the players.  He called them names I have never heard and the gender didn’t matter.  I remember once in Lake Tahoe where he spit on a card, told the dealer, “I’m out, take my cards.”  To the dealer’s credit, he told Stuey, “Pal, I ain’t touching that card.”  At the Golden Nugget I saw him curse a woman dealer until she called the floor person over, took her badge off and said, “I quit.”  Then she turned to Stu and said, “You S.O.B. come outside and I’m going to kick your ass.”  Needless to say, Stu declined.

He was such a fun guy away from gambling with such a great sense of humor, I always wondered why he would go on those tantrums.
Next blog…#2
-DB

On the bright side, my sister and her family visited and it’s always good to see them.  Also two cousins I hadn’t seen for a long time were here and that was nice.  I also feel physically strong and keep swimming each morning so maybe I’ll turn things around.

I hedged my series bet on the Celtics.  I took the Lakers +4 ½ points for $70K and if I lose it, I will win a $100K bet on the series.   It is nice to get in position like this because you can middle these games.  Obviously it is hard to get here but the way I’m running, I prefer to cinch a win.

I’m trying to fix my schedule where I will be well rested for the $50K HORSE Tournament because that is the big one for most of the pros.  The $10K main event is so large; it’s unlikely any of the pros will ever have a chance to win it.  It will be special for me because they are going to name the $50K HORSE after my pal Chip Reese, so I’m bringing my A game when they ring the bell for that one. - DB

As I was having my morning swim, I couldn’t help but notice what a nice day it is. There isn’t a single cloud in the blue sky and all my flowers were blooming and beautiful. As I reflected on my life I wondered how many days like this I had missed by sitting around a poker table day after day. Was it worth it? It’s a two-edged sword and I don’t have the answer.

Way to go, Daniel! Mr. Negreanu won the limit Holdem tournament and put me in the lead for my big bet of Daniel, Lee Watkinson, and Lee Markholt to win more bracelets than Phil Ivey and Allen Cunningham. I won’t be making any more bets like this because I don’t like to root against friends. When I went to bed last night, Ivey was leading in the $3000 HORSE event. I also bet Phil 3-1 odds for $100,000 he wouldn’t win a bracelet so I have no choice but to pull against him. It was nice to wake up and see he was out of the tournament. It was nice also to see two DoylesRoom players, Todd Brunson, and Hoyt Corkins, in the final 16 players!

I went to the airport to pick up two cousins I hadn’t seen in forty years. Ira and Vernice Hale were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary and came to Las Vegas for their first time. We had a short but nice visit before bed time and it’s amazing how the years can roll away and it is just like we were together yesterday. Vernice’s dad, my uncle Bill, recently passed at the age of 99. I come from a long line of folks who flirt with 100 years before they die.

I’m in a much better mood then I was when I wrote my last blog. I’m ready to play some good poker now. That shows the best bridge between hope and despair is often a good night’s sleep!

-DB

I’ve heard about being the ‘bubble boy’ but I had never experienced it before. After two days of playing deuce to seven lowball we were down to fifteen players and the last fourteen get paid. I didn’t pay much attention to that because I was still trying to win the tournament. The blinds and antes were getting higher and higher so when I picked up a 10-8-2-3-4 pat I went all in and ran into a pat 9 and the hopes of bracelet #11 evaporated. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow.

Today’s tournament is $3,000 HORSE but I feel lousy and don’t know if I’m going to play or not. This would be a good event for me because of multiple games but I’m not sure I should push myself. I’ve really played hard in this WSOP and I’ve gotten deep into every tournament but it is not good to play when you aren’t up to it. I’ve got thirty minutes to decide and even the fact that I am considering playing shows I want that 11th bracelet more than I thought I did.

I notice Erick “E Dog” Lindgren is having a great WSOP so far. That’s good for poker because he is one of the more popular players and gives a lot of action, so I’m pulling for him. On the other hand, Phil Ivey is pushing to win a bracelet so hard I think he is playing badly. He bet so much he would win an event, he is playing too many tournaments and playing very fast tying to accumulate chips at an early level. As I’ve said before, it is hard to win one of those things.

I’m down to twenty minutes to decide if I’m going to play or not. Time is one thing you can’t recycle so I’m going to rest for the night. That’s a tough thing for me to do because after getting knocked out so late in these tournaments I’m ready to charge a machine gun. I had better get my act together! This isn’t like me at all.

-DB