Doyle Brunson

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "Enjoy the little things, for some day you may look back and realize they were the big thing"

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:14:58 -0800

If you want something to get your attention early in the morning, try getting a call from your dermatologist saying "Come back in, we've found a melanoma on your left arm." After what I went though 48 years ago with a melanoma, I was instantly awake and calling M.D. Anderson cancer hospital in Houston, Texas. It took 4 days to get my appointment with the head of the melanoma department but I never considered going anywhere else.

After arriving in Houston I drove to the medical center to see if things were as remembered it. I was astounded to see blocks and blocks of medical buildings and the hospital I had my first surgery in 48 years ago was completely gone. I was glad because I remember thinking that building had looked like a giant headstone in a graveyard.

After two days of ultrasounds tests, blood work, x rays, etc I went into surgery that lasted three hours. I have an eight inch scar where they excised flesh. I'm afraid Cameron Diaz won't make anymore movies with me now. The doctors also took three lymph nodes under my left armpit to determine if the cancer had spread. The doctors confirmed they had removed all of the cancer from my arm but it would take a week to get the biopsy report on the lymph nodes. So, I decided to be optimistic and come back to Vegas after one day rest. I feel reasonable well but awaiting the test results is pretty stressful.

There were thousands of cancer patients in the M.D Anderson Medical Center. I was struck by the attitude and obvious determination of the patients. Even in the more severe cases you could see the resolve to beat this deadly disease. Something like this helps get your priorities straight. Someone caught a two outer at the river against you? Big deal, just be thankful if you have your health.

One pretty neat thing happened in my first examination. A doctor came into the room laughing and said "you came into this hospital almost 50 years ago and had a life expectancy of 3-6 months!" He showed me an old chart from 1962 that said Mr. Brunson's cancer had disappeared with no explanation. It was a "spontaneous remission" which we have only seen a few times. That brought back lots of old memories and thank God my "spontaneous remission" happened.

Whoopee! I just got the call from the hospital that the surgery had removed all the cancer from my arm and it hadn't spread. They said come back in 6 months for a check-up which I'll certainly do. I ducked one more bullet and I'm grateful again.

Now I have to arrange my poker schedule. I was supposed to play in Poker Stars Big Game but I certainly wasn't up to it. Now, I am supposed to play the NBC Heads Up Championship the 4th of next month. If I don't feel good, I'm going to pass on that one also. Winning bracelets and poker tournaments aren't as important to me as they were a few weeks ago.
Thank you God!

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "Courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying " I will try again tomorrow"

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:53:52 -0800

If you remember that bet I had with Mack Rawden. A newsletter publisher, the bet was settled to this week. Mack published a most likely to die in 2010 list and I was on his list. I called him, laid him 10-1 for a $1,000 I would make it to 2011. Obviously, I won the bet and he sent a check to Jen Harman's no Kill animal shelter. Thanks Mack, I'm glad I won.

I've heard of identity theft and I do not know if this qualifies but someone got my account number at my bank. They proceeded to write 135 checks in a little over a month for thousands of dollars. Pretty scary stuff, my private banker said that was the most fraud he had even seen on one account, You should never keep very much money in your checking account.

When I came back from Costa Rica last week I noticed my passport was about to expire, I called the number in Los Angeles and the lady told me I had to absolutely come to L.A to renew it. I thought that was strange so I went to the internet and found a site that will renew it by mail. I don't know why the woman told me I had to come to LA but I suppose I should try to contact her supervisor. That is a brutal mistake to make.

I didn't realize that my saying I might move to CA because there was more poker there would cause so much talk. My move was pure speculation and probably won't happen, I was just thinking. My life has been full of poker for over 50 years and I still enjoy the competition. I don't feel like sitting in a rocker out by the pool waiting for the Grim Reaper to come knock on my door. It seems to me that when people completely retire they die much quicker than someone who still has goals and interest in life. I'm planning on winning more bracelets in the WSOP and perhaps winning a few more tournaments besides that. I know, I'm at least going to keep trying.

The Billy Walters segment about gambling on 60 Minutes is getting a lot of press. I watched it and laughed all the way though it, Billy lived 4 doors down from me and was Chip Reese's next door neighbor on the Las Vegas Country Club in the early 80's. The segment was very good and made Billy look very rich and successful, which he is today. But back in the 80's times were tough for all gamblers and Billy was no exception. 60 Minutes talked about the good times and didn't mention the bad, I'll never forget when the police raided his house, put his sweet wife Susan in handcuffs and leg irons, and took them both to jail. I've got to give Billy credit he took sport betting to another level and left the tough times behind him.

I read on the internet about a bunch of youngsters that stole a vase with the ashes of a dead man inside. They took the vase to a nightclub and snorted the ashes as if it was cocaine. That may be the sickest thing I have ever heard.

DB-

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "When we have done our best, we can await the results in peace"

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:12:28 -0800

Finally got back from Costa Rica a few days ago. Every time I visit that country, I am more and more impressed. Just the sheer beauty is enough to make the trip worthwhile but the more modern parts make it even better. The shops are nice and the food is on a par with most major cities. Factor in the beach is a short distance from San Jose and the fishing is terrific makes it a good destination.

Las Vegas is becoming more and more a not very desirable place for a poker pro to live. There are simply isn't very many high limit games anywhere. What's with the economy, the world wide tournaments, and the internet poker, the outlook for live cash games are bleak. Poker is on the verge of making a very significant change and in my opinion very bad change.

I'm considering moving to California; at least there are a few mid level games that are played regularly. I am glad the college bowl games are over. This is the 1^st year in a long time where the favorite covered the spread. I guess the line makers finally figured out that the underdogs had been winning the side for a long time, now maybe the guys that make the numbers will notice that a big percentage of the N.F.L games are going over the projected total points scored each game.

I made a very large bet on who would win the Super Bowl; I had Indy, New Orleans and New England. My opponent had N.Y Giants, Pitt and N.Y Jets. I really liked my bet and they the Saints and Colts both got knocked out in the 1^st round and now the Jets are leading the Pats as I write this. Gulp!

I've had lots of personal problems the last couple of months and I hope 2011 is going to change things. I'm still in the process of making my New year resolutions. Anyway a belated Happy New year to Everyone.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY:"Nobody's perfect, but if you aim for perfect, it will usually end up pretty good"

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 08:05:43 -0800

The WPT tournament is over with Antonio Esfandiari coming out on top. He played well the entire tournament and is a worthy champion. I made it to the last two tables but was completely card dead the last day. Oh well, I played harder than I have in a long time.

I got a nice compliment on the Brunson 10 from Jeff Schulman from Card Player. We were in valet picking our cars after the second day and he asked "where did you get those kids? They are really good." I've got to agree with Jeff, they are all great players and on top of that they are great guys. They have totally impressed me!

After I busted out of the Tournament I went to the cash games in Bobby's Room and played 11 more hours. The dealer asked me how and why do I still play like that. The answer is simply, I love poker and I hope to play until I pass on. I try to slow down and can't seems like I have just one speed, fast forwards.

The internet poker bill is getting lots of attention. After the Las Vegas Sun reported Harry Reid told them the bill was dead, it has resurfaced and is going to be voted on shortly. A big sticky point is the 15 month ban on anyone who takes U.S. players won't be granted a license. We will have to wait and see but at least it raises awareness of the possibility of regulated internet poker.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY:"Live as if you were going to die tomorrow, learn as if you were going to live forever"

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:18:34 -0800

It is hard to get back in the swing of thing after the death of my only sister, Lavada Hale. Lavada was 79 years old and had lost her eyesight due to glaucoma and related eye diseases. She couldn't stand the thought of living out her years in a world of darkness so she took her own life. She was such a strong person all her life and I never dreamed she was so depressed she could commit suicide. It was a tough time for our family but we are a tough family and I was proud of everybody the way they handled this tragedy. Thanks to everyone for their calls, tweets and prayers. RIP Lavada.

Pam, Todd and Anjela and myself were in Punta Cana when we got the news. We were having a great time in a great resort. What a big place, over 130 acres of 2,800 rooms, 13 swimming pools, eight restaurants and 10 or 12 bars. It was an all inclusive resort and there were lots of poker players there including Hoyt Corkins and five members of the Brunson 10. The tournament had 200 entries and should be a major tournament next year.

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I'm glad it's over. I always overeat and feel miserable. The family was together and that was good because we are still hurting and it was nice to have everyone's support. Every Thanksgiving I remember what Benny Binion used to say "I'm thankful Chili's a dime a bowl and I love Chili."

The Doyle Brunson WPT Poker event is starting at the Bellagio and I guess I'll start playing poker this next week. It seems I feel better when I stay busy so I'll give it my best shot.

I keep hearing that internet poker is the favorite to get legalization this year. If so, the government has lots of work to do on regulations, etc but I feel it would be a good move. Lots of taxes for a hurting USA.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY:"A drowning man doesn't complain about the size of a life preserver."

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:17:57 -0800

I hope everybody voted this last week. As expected, the Republicans won the House of Representatives and did major damage to the Democrats' hopes. Harry Reid won his senate seat and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Harry was personally responsible for me getting my gaming license 40 years ago when he was the head of the Gaming Commission so I feel an obligation toward him. On the other hand, except that he is supposedly pro poker, I'm a little disappointed in his past of approving some controversial bills.

I can't believe the tax situation. I know it is our only way to support our nation but as Thomas Jefferson said, "Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give it to those who won't work."

Three more days and I head for Punta Cana for the poker tournament DoylesRoom is hoping to sponsor next year. The Dominican Republic is under heavy rains and windy right now from the hurricanes but the weather should clear up before we get there. It should be a fun trip with Gambling 911's Jenny Woo throwing a party. She is a legend among party goers and I'm almost afraid to go at my age. Fortunately, my daughter Pam and daughter-in-law Anjela will be along to supervise things.

My son Todd just lost his last blue heeler from his original five. The Brunson family are all pet owners and we love them so I really hurt for him. On the other hand, his dog Stoli had a nice life and between co-ownership with Jennifer Harmon was really well cared for. Stoli was the dog Jennifer offered to give Todd $100,000 if he would let her have Stoli when their relationship dissolved. Todd told her she could add a zero and the answer would still be no. That is a lot of love for a dog!

The WSOP final table is underway and will be widely viewed by ESPN viewers. I've gotta pull for the Grinder as he is the only one that might join us in some cash side games.

I'm introducing Eric Seidel Monday night at the Poker Hall of Fame banquet. Eric is being inducted along with Dan Harrington and both are worthy of the honor. My pal Barry Greenstein will be next if I have any say so about it.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "Be enough of an artist to draw freely on your imagination."

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:44:09 -0700

There is so much about life that we know nothing about. ESP, karma, spirits, 6th sense, etc. My son Todd had a 15 year old blue heeler named Yager that died a few nights ago from cancer. He was a great dog who would look very scary but was actually a devoted, sweet animal. Todd and Jennifer Harman were an item for 5 years and lived together. They had 4 blue heelers with Yager being the 1st one. When they broke up they had a comical legal battle about who got to take the dogs. Todd hired David Chesnoff and Jennifer hired Richard Wright. David and Richard happened to be the two leading criminal lawyers in the world. I can remember David laughingly telling Richard, "I won't tell anyone about this if you won't."

Anyway, they reached an agreement to share custody of the dogs which they have done now for 10 years. Jennifer had all the dogs except Yager the night he died at 2:00 a.m. Jennifer said at exactly 2:00 a.m. her dogs started howling and she couldn't stop them for 20 minutes. Coincidence? I don't think so. My friend from high school died last year and he had a 10 year old Bulldog who died the next day from no apparent reason. Anjela, Todd's wife, had a dream in the early morning the day Yager died with some girl she couldn't recognize telling her of his death. Some things defy logical explanations. R.I.P. Yager.

Congratulations to Erik Seidel and Dan Harrington for their upcoming induction into the Poker Hall of Fame. I was sure Erik would be one of the new members and I have no problem with "Action Dan" being the other. I voted for Erik and Barry Greenstein because I couldn't remember Dan playing in any big cash games, but everyone tells me he played in New York and California, so he does meet the criteria. Barry will be one of the inductees next year for sure. I would like to see Mike Caro, David Sklansky, Bobby Hoff, Eric Drache and Abe Mosseri on the ballot next year along with some of the nominees from this year.

Speaking of the Hall of Fame, my hat goes off to Phil Ivey who announced he wouldn't accept the award if he was voted into the Hall. Phil said he didn't want to be voted in until he was older than Chip Reese was when he was inducted as the youngest player ever. Chip was 43 and what a tribute to him from Phil. There is no doubt that Phil was the best player on this year's list of nominees but that doesn't mean he should go in yet. It also should show the committee they should have an age limit for the nominees.

We have lowered the limits in Bobby's Room to 1k-2k and we have been having full games with waiting lists. I've been saying for a long time we should do these smaller limits because of the economy. I'm willing to play even smaller, I just want to have games every day. If one or two players would help start these games along with Eli Elezra and me, we can play almost every day.

Everybody knows I'm a dyed in the wool western movie fan. I've got almost all of the favorites for the last 15 years on DVDs. Now I found a place on the net called oldies.com where they have all the western movies restored and in color. They are very reasonably priced from 3-10 dollars each. I bought 400 more western DVDs and I'm going to watch them all.

I don't know what to think about this weather. It is still thundering, lightning and raining after a 24 hour electrical storm. I've been in Vegas since 1973 and I've never seen anything like it. The lightning is spectacular but I'm afraid it is dangerous and might cause some major damage. Las Vegas don't need any more problems right now.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "In order to succeed, you must be willing to fail."

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:42:26 -0700

Punta Cana. Even the name sounds like a fun place. Punta Cana is in the Caribbean on the Dominican Republic and is the place of a $1,000 poker tournament Nov. 10th through the 14th. The tournament is a sideline of the trip, but it will be a nice event. They tell me the nightlife is the best anywhere and I know for sure there is going to be great action in the side games. So if you can fit it into your schedule, come and have a great time. My entire family is going and while I'm not much for the beach, I understand it is one of the premier spots in the world. The event is being held at the new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana and is the equal of any of the Vegas hotels.

The Festa al Lago Classic poker tournament is underway at the Bellagio and for the first time in a long time, I'm excited and ready to play. The main event starts Friday and a big turnout is expected. These tournaments never seem to end. If you want to travel, there is a tournament every week somewhere in the world. They are ok, but it's not good for the cash games. Poker tournaments

All of the family are back from Montana and it's good to be home. I had fallen behind about what has been going on at DoylesRoom and our team was all excited about the new loyalty program they launched. I'm not too familiar with it yet but I understand a grinder can cash in an extra $3,000 in cash a month. That's the highest return on the net using "Brunson Bucks." Try it out.

October has been a bad month for my pals in the poker world. After losing Pete Popovich, the floor supervisor at the Bellagio poker room, I got a call Bobby Hoff is in the ICU in L.A. He evidently fell and hit his head causing blood on the brain. Bobby is one of the few remaining player from the old "Texas Circuit", the press writes about. I know Bobby is one tough guy and I'm hoping he makes it through this.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "If you are too open minded, your brains will fall out."

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:55:57 -0700

I've been neglecting my blog lately because of vacation and traveling. I'll try to do better and I now feel like a new man. The truth of the matter is I loved my time in Montana and I plan on spending more time there each year. I also traveled to Abilene, Texas for my 60 year high school reunion. Over 75% of the living members showed up from all across the nation. We recalled a lot of old memories. That trip was ruined by the news that Pete Popovich died having a heart procedure. Pete was one of the good guys and will be missed.

It's going to be time to induct two more members in the Poker Hall of Fame next month. I'm primarily a cash game player and perhaps I put too much emphasis on the cash games but I don't see how it can't be the most important landmark. I consider all of the nominees to be friends and for what it's worth, here are my thoughts.

The criteria for being in the hall are simple. (a) A player must have played against top competition. (b) Played for high stakes. (c) Played consistently well, gaining the respect of their peers. (d) Stood the test of time. (e) Contributed to the overall growth and success to the game of poker.

The nominees in alphabetical order are:

(1) Chris Ferguson. Chris is a worthy candidate even though he doesn't meet (a) and (b) of the criteria. Even though he hasn't played much outside tournaments, he is so strong in the other three he has to be considered. Probably not yet though.

(2) Barry Greenstein..You can't find a criteria Barry doesn't meet. If not this year, next year for sure.

(3) Jennifer Harman-Traniello..Jen also meets all the requirements. I've always considered her to be the all-time best female player. However, her sex doesn't matter here and she will probably need a few more years before she goes in.

(4) Dan Harrington...My only problem with Dan is I don't remember him playing in any high-limit cash games. Well respected however.

(5) Phil Ivey....Who?

(6) Linda Johnson...Aptly known as the First Lady of Poker. Loved by everyone but probably isn't a strong candidate this year.

(7) Tom McEvoy...Tom's name keeps getting on the ballot every year so that means he is a strong candidate. While he didn't play in the real high stake cash games, he paid his dues in the mid stake games.

(8) Daniel Negreanu. It's only a matter of time for Daniel. He meets the criteria but probably is going to have to wait until he is a little older.

(9) Scotty Nguyen...Scotty needs to live up to his nickname, "The Prince of Poker" He meets all 5 criteria but is going to have to wait until his behavior in his $50K win in the Horse tournament fades from people's memory.

(10) Erik Seidel...I gave almost all of my votes to Erik. Most people don't remember his cash game play but he was in all of the games in his early career. He meets all the requirements and his exemplary conduct deserves a special accolade. He reminds me of Chip Reese.

So who is it going to be? If Seidel isn't one of the inductees, I'll be very surprised. I think the 2nd will be Greenstein or Ivey. I feel it should be Barry but if Phil is the one, I'll have no objection even though I feel he should wait until he is older.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "In a curious way, age is simpler than youth, for it has so fewer options."

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 02:55:37 -0700

Finally back home from Montana. Nobody but me will ever know how much I needed that three weeks away from everything. For the 1st time in my life, I felt like I was about to crack. I hadn't had a real vacation like this in 5-6 years and I really enjoyed it. I think my poker was affected by my work ethic over the past years and I'm looking forward to a good finish for 2010 and then having a banner year in 2011.

For the lack of anything better to do in Montana, I jotted down what I did and thought each day. It is a tongue-in-cheek thing but oh, so much truth in it.

Day 1. "What a beautiful place. Trees, water, blue skies everywhere. Wow, why did I ever leave the country?"

Day 2. "Went fishing today. Caught 8 big lake trout. Threw all back except the one I kept for supper. Great day!"

Day 3. "I've got 50 some odd fruit trees on my places here. Apples, cherries, apricots and pears. Nice fruit and delicious."

Day 4. "The wolves and cougars may be thinning the deer but there were 4 whitetails in my yard this morning. They are really cute and man, can they jump."

Day 5. "Tons of good restaurants around the Flathead Lake. Don't know where they get their cooks, but they are superb."

Day 6. "Todd and Anjela, Pam & Cheryl, my grandson Jeff and his wife Angie and their two kids come by for dinner every night. Nothing like family."

Day 7. "Todd's Montana Challenge poker tournament was tonight. I'll go play with these nice folks."

Day 8. "Went riding in my pontoon boat and Sea Doo today. Rode my Rhino up to the top of a mountain I own. Terrific views."

Day 9. "Rained all day so I stayed home, opened a bottle of wine and chilled out all day. Temperature got down to 38."

Day 10. "Went over to a 40 acre ranch we owned. We have a few Texas Longhorns and I stepped in a big pile of cow shit. Noooo I'm beginning to remember why I left the country."

Day 11. "The fruit trees are dropping apples, cherries, etc all over the place. Maybe I'll cut the stupid things down."

Day 12. "Family wanted to go fishing. Bunch of dummies, who wants to handle those slimy things again?"

Day 13. "There isn't an In and Out'er anywhere. This food is beginning to suck. You can't live on grits and biscuits and gravy forever."

Day 14. "Started to ride the Rhino up to Glacier Park then thought about how dangerous those things are. Didn't Phil Laak almost get killed on one of those things?"

Day 15. "Freaking deer are tearing my yard up. A big black bear is coming everyday and eating the apples. Where is my rifle?"

Day 16. "Went to one of these small towns around the lake. I'll swear I saw Goober, Gomer and Barney by the barbershop. Gotta get out of Mayberry."

Day 17. "Went to dinner with the entire family. Constant battling about absolutely nothing. Can these people really be related to me?"

Day 18. "Called the airline and can't get out for four more days. Going into survival mode!"

I'm going to Texas tomorrow to see my folks and go to my 60th high school reunion. We have had a reunion every 5 years since 1955. Lots of great friends and we have stayed in touch all these years. This will probably be our last one so I sure don't want to miss seeing my old classmates one more time. Out of a graduating class of just over 100, we expect 40 or more will be attending. Pretty good when we have lost more than 30 out of our class. Our class president was Jack Scott who is a state senator in California. He will be our keynote speaker at our banquet. Afterwards, I'm coming back to play some damn good poker!

My heart is absolutely breaking for Chip and Katrina Jett who lost a four year old son in an accident. Everyone gives their condolences and says they know how they feel, but unless you have lost a son or daughter, no one knows. I lost my first born over 25 years ago and I still hurt everyday. So when I say to the Jett's I know how you feel, I really do and I'm hurting for you. R.I.P. Apollo Jett.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "Nothing sucks more than the moment you realize you were wrong during a heated argument."

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:16:33 -0700

I just got back from Texas again. It's like stepping into another world when I get there. The economy is thriving and the people are optimistic, quite a far cry from the doom and gloom you hear around Vegas. The oil wells, wind farms, dairy farms, cattle ranches and cotton and peanut farms seem to make the residents of West Texas have plenty of money. that translates into successful restaurants, shops, banks, etc. We tend to live in our own small part of the world and we just forget just how big our planet is.

Because I came from the farming country, I found some interesting changes. When I was young we used to watch the skies praying for rain to enable our cotton to grow. We had to fight boll weevil, lice, rabbits that ate the cotton, etc. We had to spray the cotton, chop the weeds out of it, then harvest it by hand. Today's farmers have a new strain of cotton that eliminates the weevils and lice completely. They spray the young cotton one time which kills all the weeds. Most of the farms are irrigated and harvested mechanically. In the meantime, a single tractor can cost upward of $250,000. Farmers have to have lots of crops to afford all the machinery they have to buy.

Another interesting thing was as I was driving away from the Midland-Odessa airport, I could see hundreds of cars parking in a giant field. They were having a huge three-day concert by a group of rockers called Rock the Desert. I googled them and they play Christian rock music. Lots of Christian folks down in Texas, again a far cry from the majority of young people around Vegas.

My sister had just gotten a cast off her broken arm when I arrived. She had fallen on her patio and snapped the bone. I think falling is one of the primary dangers in older poeple's lives. Puggy Pearson got up to go to the bathroom, slipped and hit his head, killing him. My old golfing buddy, Fred Barnes from Mobile, fell backward going up some steps, killing himself instantly. I saw a boy from Amarillo who told me Amarillo Slim had fallen down a flight of stairs, breaking 5 ribs. I know my crutch has saved me many times.

Nothing much to do in Andrews, TX so I watched a lot of TV. While I was there I watched a couple things I had no idea about on 60 Minutes. turkey is 90% Muslim (I googled it and 98% profess the Islamic faith) and has mosques everywhere where they go to pray 5 times a day. If the current trend continues, Muslims will control the world in just over 1/2 a century.

The other thing that amazed me was that our country spends 55 billion dollars a year on terminally ill people during the last two months of their lives. Even if the patients in a hospital have a clause in their will or living trust (as I have) about declining any use of life support, the money is spent giving almost useless tests from head to toe. Good Googa Mooga! I know I won't die tied down to some hospital bed hooked up to some machine.

I'd like to thank the hundreds, maybe thousands, of people that wished me Happy B-day on Facebook and Twitter. I ran out of room on Twitter trying to read the messages and my e-mail overflowed with messages on my wall from Facebook. I was surprised at the number of folks that had the same birthday as mine. Even though I remember the old gambler/con man Titanic Thompson used to have all sorts of proposition bets about that. I believe if you take 22 random people you are a big favorite to find two with the same birthday. I'm pretty sure if you take 50 random people you will find one that has your B-day. Titanic had other props but I'm not sure what the B-day props were. Anyway, I know my lucky number has always been 7 and now I have a pair of 7's to draw to

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "Letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back in."

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:09:57 -0700

I got to play in a big cash game in L.A. last week. It was a bunch of fun guys (rich, too) and I really enjoyed it. One of the regulars was a friend of mine that I hadn't seen for 35 years. He didn't have two nickels to rub together when I knew him and now he has hundreds of millions. I'd say that is a pretty good success story. I played twice winning one time and losing once.

When I got to the house the game is played in, I couldn't believe it. It was 5 stories high on the top of a mountain overlooking the city. The lift was broken and I climbed the five stories of marble stairways with my crutch. My legs and knees are so sore I have trouble sleeping at nights. I'm not going back until the lift is fixed.

At the top of the house where the game is sits a piano. It was Nat King Cole's instrument and I sat down and played a song my mom taught me when I was six years old. I didn't know I could play anything besides chopsticks. Yep, me and Nat.

Every time I fly I think about how unfair our system is. I usually get a wheelchair to ride to my gate because of my bad leg. Every single time, because I have a metal implant in my shoulder and set off the alarm, I go through an intensive search that takes a long time because not only do they shake me down completely, they go over the chair with a fine tooth comb. I suppose it's necessary but it seems a little extreme. The funny part is that almost all of the security guards must be poker fans and they recognize me. However it doesn't keep them from being very thorough on their final examination. I even have to take my shoes and belt off along with the usual stuff. I guess it's better safe than sorry though.

My publicist, Lara Miller, sold everything she owned except what she could carry in a backpack. She left her business and embarked on a 3-4 year journey around the world. She is currently in India and she regularly blogs and sends tweets about her trip. She has a $14 a day budget and plans on hitchhiking across Asia and Europe. I can't imagine all the dangers she is going to encounter doing that. But, she is determined to do so even after I tried to talk her out of it. Can you just imagine an attractive 34 year old woman hitchhiking across some of those countries? I told her the only way she could possibly not get raped is to carry cards in every language and give them out at the opportune moment. The card would say, "Go ahead, but I have aids." That might save her but I really fear for what could happen, being all alone in foreign countries.

I just got a tweet from Lara saying she is having a great time. She says the only poker players the folks in India know are "texdolly" and the "unabomber". Can you imagine that? The world is a funny place.

Someone sent me an e-mail about the World's Shortest Books. I thought some of them were very funny so I tweeted a few of them on Twitter. The response was amazing. I got hundreds and hundreds of humorous jokes about short books. I retweeted the ones I thought were the best and they just kept coming and I kept retweeting them. I had 346,000 followers when I started and I lost 900 of them because they didn't like it because of the volume. After two days of travel and no tweets, I'm back to 345,500. The one that I received the most was "Humility" by Phil Hellmuth. My favorite was "Different ways to comb your hair" by Doyle Brunson.

I'm almost through with my seven implants (yeaaah-). It's time to make my way to Montana for a relaxing time with my dogs and my family. I'm gonna beat Todd at the shooting range this time. Adios 110 degree weather, hello 81 degree weather!!

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "It's far easier to forgive an enemy after you've gotten even with him."

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:17:04 -0700

The 2010 WSOP is over finally. At least my part is finished and I'm sweating Johnny Chan and rooting for him. I had a bad series, playing nine events without cashing. I feel I played reasonably good in six of them but played two poorly and one extremely bad. I was on a losing streak going into the World Series of Poker and I'm a complete bottom line guy and don't believe in making excuses. I do still have a very good memory and I review my play in my mind after every game. While I can see a couple of things that I've been doing that are definitely wrong, it seems I've been unlucky and am playing well enough that I should be winning. But I'm going to take a little time off, come back to the cash games and re-evaluate my game.

For all the people that have asked about the results of Daniel Negreanu and my bets in the main event, I've won two and lost one. It was a lot of fun sweating the tournament and while our bets weren't 7 figures, they were large enough to be interesting.

All my neighbors were referring to my backyard as Brunson's Brothel because all the feral cats came to a spot over my waterfall to give birth to their kittens. My family was trapping the kittens and taking them to no-kill shelters and vets for adoption. The daddy of almost all of the kittens was a scoundrel Siamese cat. He is white and has the cutest offspring you can imagine. We tried to adopt two of them but my wife is so allergic we had to give them up. It's really a shame because they were a lot of fun. I'm putting out cat repellent, which is nothing but pepper, to close down Brunson's Brothel.

My high school class is having our 60th reunion this fall and I can't wait to see some of my old friends. The class of 1950 has had a reunion every five years and we have really developed some strong bonds among us. We have lots of success stories from our class, all the way from State Senators, famous lawyers, award winning journalists, and lots of distinguished teachers and educators. I was the black sheep of the class but thank goodness, they finally accept me and my profession. Took a while though.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:10:42 -0700

Bets for Daniel

I actually think Daniel, you need to change medications because I think you have lost it when it comes to these bets. But you certainly have your six world beaters I've never heard of against my three great old timers. But again, my old pal Titanic Thompson used to tell me that difference in opinion is what makes good gambling. Would your bunch be interested in coming by Bobby's Room and give us some lessons afterwards? They have to leave their poker tracking, HUDs, etc at home though.

No, I wouldn't bet on Dewey Tomko in golf against someone I didn't know. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out that I know there are plenty of golfers that can beat Dewey that I don't know. However, I don't believe there are very many players better than three proven world champions. Our bets are won on the amount of money cashed in the main event. Win or lose, I'll be glad to be on my team any place, any time. It will be fun, we will work out how much we are betting.

1st Bet

My team is:

Todd Brunson
Hoyt Corkins
Dewey Tomko
Zach Clark
Steve Gross
Amit Makhija
Alex Kamberis
Chris Moorman
Dani Stern
Daniel Kelly
Faraz Jaka
David Sands
Michael Martin

Dan's team is:

Jason Mercier
Dan Negreanu
Joe Hachem
Elky Grospellier
Ivan Demidov
Will Thorson
JP Kelly
Jose Barbero
Lex Velduis
Jude Ainsworth
Arnaud Mattern
?
?

Daniel needs to add 2 more PS players. In the event everyone doesn't start, we take players from the bottom of the list until we have an equal number of starteres

2nd Bet

I have:

Johnny Chan
Phil Hellmuth
Barry Greenstein

Dan has:

Bill Reynolds
Will Molson
Tom Marchese

3rd Bet

I have:

John Chan
Phil Hellmuth
Barry Greenstein

Dan has:

Vivek Rajkunar
Jason Somerville
Richard Lyndaker

I just got word that Daniel Kelly won the $25k tournament. That's 1,300,00 for a 21 year old kid and it officially makes him the newest member of the Brunson 10.

Way to go Daniel!

Yes, I know I left myself off our team. My mouth hurts from all the dental work, my leg hurts, my back hurts, etc. I've been around long enough to know I'm not playing my best right now so I'm not going to let my ego hurt my team's chances. I need a few weeks of rest in Montana.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "The ultimate goal should be doing your best and enjoying it."

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:08:50 -0700

I went to the dentist Wednesday instead of playing in the 25K tournament at the WSOP. I desperately want to get this implant stuff out of the way because it's driving me crazy. It's like getting on a Ferris Wheel at the circus, once you start, you can't stop. Six months ago, I thought I would be through before now but when you go into sinus lifts, extractions, bone grafts, healing caps, etc. It seems you never get through. It will be October before it's over.

It is absolutely amazing how different people interpret things. In my last blog I said I get along with Phil Ivey if we don't have to use the same bathroom. Surely the entire world would know that was a joke. I remember seeing the movie Brian's Song where a teammate of Gayle Sayers said that and I thought it was very funny. But no, I've been accused of racism, being a redneck and a hillbilly. One article said I wanted separate bathrooms because of the difference of our penis size and I would be embarrassed. It's comical but also a little bit aggravating.

Daniel Negreanu is pretty talkative about our TOC bets (which I still like). It's too bad I didn't get to the Rio instead of the dentist. Dan said he would take Bill Reynolds, Will Nelson and Tom Manchese against Chan, Greenstein and Hellmuth. Wow, would he have got that on! Is that offer good for the main event? Or any other tournament you can find?

I've got an interesting bet for Daniel. I'll take 10 DoylesRoom pros against any 10 Poker Stars pros in the main event. 4 bets, who goes farther, who cashes, who makes final table and who wins. That will be fun and maybe Dan can finally pick himself.

I see where Ivey and Juanda have motor homes in the parking lot at the Rio. That's a great idea and I have a motor home in Montana that I'm going to bring to the 2011 WSOP. That would be a neat spot to take the long breaks in. Also, you could sleep there if you had an early start the next day.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "Two important things you can never recover. The word after it's said and the time after it's gone."

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:43:19 -0700

I've now played 6 events at the WSOP. I've made day 2 in a few of them, then gone card dead. I've played well in 5 of the events, outlasted over 1,000 players, played 10 long days and haven't cashed yet. Isn't tournament poker fun? There are only 2 or 3 more tournaments for me and I'll be glad when the cash games resume.

I wish people would let the "feud" between me and Annette Obrestad go. There is no feud. The only offensive thing she said in her ESPN interview was that cash game players have big egos that get in their way when playing. I guess online players don't have big egos? The debate about cash and online goes on and on.

I've got problems with readers who try to inject racism in people's remarks. On Twitter, I mentioned to a black lady who has the same last name as me, that it probably came from slavery days. It wasn't uncommon for the slaves to take their owners' last name. What was racist about that? I've known three great black athletes named Brunson. I've had black friends all my life. I even get along with Phil Ivey as long as we don't have to use the same bathroom.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "A clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory."

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:18:51 -0700

After playing 5 events at the WSOP I still haven't cashed. I played the worst poker of my life yesterday in the Omaha 8 or Better. I had little interest in the event and played like a rank beginning. At least I got down to the final 30 players in 3 of the 5 tournaments. I may take a few days off and try to figure out my lack of enthusiasm. It's hard enough to win when you are focused so I've gotta turn things around.

I noticed a few men entered the ladies tournament. I think they should be barred from entering anymore events this year. I suppose the WSOP had to allow them to enter but what self respecting man would stoop to entering a ladies tournament?

Congrats to Phil Laak for breaking the existing Guinness record for playing longer than any recorded session. Phil played 115 hours with no drugs, not even caffeine. Not to take away from his remarkable achievement, when I was 25 years old I played 5 days and nights. But I drank tons of coffee. I also saw two old time cowboy poker players Johnny Moss and Paul Harvey, play from Monday morning until Friday night. They slept Saturday and Sunday and came back the next Monday morning and played until the next Friday night. They also drank a lot of coffee so that makes Phil's 115 hours a credible mark.

There has been a lot of ink about Annette Obrestad and me and our "feud". Actually I believe now that Annette's remark about cash game players vs. online players was taken out of context. That's an old argument and will never be proven either way. My response was ill-advised and very inappropriate. I should know better after all these years of listening to poker talk.

I didn't mean to offend anyone in my last blog about being an atheist. This is America and you can believe whatever you want. What I don't understand is why most atheists, particularly the younger ones, get so angry when someone does profess their faith. I've listened and studied both sides and I can't imagine believing there is not a higher power. As for Christianity, there was one compelling fact that convinced me. Almost all of the scholars believe the Jewish scribes kept accurate records. Those records say that all of Jesus' disciples met violent deaths (except Paul). Every one of them died saying Jesus was God the Son. That's pretty impressive. But don't get mad at me because I believe and I won't be mad at you if you don't.

P.S. Elpokero, I admire your work and commend you for it. Did you know that my daughter Pam was the executive director for the largest retirement center in California?

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes."

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:38:28 -0700

My blog goes to twelve different publications. It seems most of the readers go to cardplayer.com for it. I get a kick out of reading the comments that are posted, not only to my blog, but to the others as well. So I deliberately set a trap for the guys that regularly post comments and they fell right into it. These guys shouldn't play any serious poker. I admire the negative posters that sign their real names and I appreciate the positive ones. But the anonymous posters that want to be insulting and name calling really piss me off.

A typical regular negative poster chooses to use the name LeeTheStrikerChagra. Lee Chagra was a brilliant criminal lawyer who never lost a case. He also was the head of the biggest drug cartel in Texas history. So here is my read on this pathetic poster who doesn't have the balls to let anyone know who he is. He fancies himself in Lee Chagra's shoes and I almost guarantee he is an atheist. He is a middle-aged wannabe who is a coward but wants to vent his frustrations by insulting people. He has a hatred of everything and anger is eating him up.

LeeTheStrikerChagra probably struggles to pay his rent and obviously knows nothing about poker because he continuously insults Daniel Negreanu and other poker players. He called me, "just another stetson wearing obese hick from Texas." Hmm...well, nothing wrong with that but when he insults my family and predicts me and my son will die within a year, he has crossed the line. I'd like to meet him in a dark alley sometime. I shouldn't have given him these five minutes in the sun but I'm afraid Cardplayer is going to kick him off.

If you want my real political views, they are simple. Democrat, Republican, Liberal or Conservative, if it's good for America I'm for it. If that means alienating other countries, so be it. We have to have American products be competitive with all these imports. When we get into position to help the entire world, let's do it. But until then, let's try to save ourselves. We are on the brink of disaster and we need to address our problems the best we can.

Here is a honest opinion the "howler monkeys" can take off on. When it comes to national security or saving one American life, I'm all for this. If a terrorist has information we need and he has his testicles tied to a cattle prod and a battery, there are three steps we should follow:

(1) Black is negative

(2) Red is positive

(3) Be sure his balls are wet.

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "Life is not a sprint. It's a marathon."

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:29:34 -0700

After all my complaining about feeling bad, I went to my doctor and got a complete physical. I thought that perhaps I was anemic or low blood sugar was the cause of my lack of energy. But no, the doctor's word he used as he reviewed my test results was superb. My cholesterol was 170 and all the blood work was perfect. I had an EKG, Cat scans, X-rays and other tests and all had good results for me. Finally, I got a colonoscopy and if I lived in Arkansas, the doc and I would be legally married. I also asked him to tell my son Todd that he didn't find my head up there.

The best news of all was that I had very little plaque in my arteries and the heart doctor said, barring some unforeseen complication or disease, I should live into my 90's so no more excuses, I'm going to have a big year in poker for 2010.

DoylesRoom had the Brunson Beer Pong Tournament at Hogs & Heifers biker bar in downtown Las Vegas. The place was completely packed and we had a ball. Zach Clark, one of the Brunson 10, was my partner and we got to the Elite Eight before losing by one cup. Ty Stewart from Harrahs and Brian Bosworth came in second, confirming our belief the Eastern guys spend all their time in bars. Tony Dunst and Leo Murphy were the winners. Ex football star from Oklahoma, Brian (The Boz) Bosworth was there along with lots of poker playing friends.

I got my special edition copies of my autobiography back from a specialist book shop in CA. They are handwoven with gold binding, special engravings and gold leaf paper. I only got 15 for special friends and family with their name engraved in gold on the front. They are beautiful and cost $800 each. I'm trying to get them reproduced at a lower price for other friends.

At least I'm no longer a bachelor. Louise got back from a 2 month stay in Hawaii because of her allergies here. It's hard to live alone after 48 years of marriage. My dogs Casper and Cutie were almost as glad to see her as I was.

I'll say one thing, Daniel Negreanu is very vocal about his dislike of UB and the Cereus poker network. I think that he is right about everything that happened, but I'm not sure we should completely throw them under the bus. It seems they are trying to do the right thing now and keep things under control, but how on earth could they allow something like this breach of security? I know some of the former owners are still in the office at UB so they have to go the extra mile with their security. It is a mystery to me how poker players keep going there and that brings me to my next subject.

I hope Nevada watched the Mike Huckabee TV show with his guest being the Las Vegas mayor, Oscar Goodman. I remember everyone was on my case for voting for McCain when Obama was supposedly pro-poker. I knew the election was over when I voted and I was just being a loyal Republican. If I thought my vote would have mattered, I probably would have voted for Obama. But forget about pro-poker, bailouts, immigration, apologizing to other countries for America, budget deficit and all the other problems of this administration. Oscar had the statistics of what happened after Obama's 2 remarks about "not going to Vegas." According to Goodman, a gigantic dip in canceled conventions after our President's first comment and a sharp decline in visitors immediately after his 2nd "stay away from Vegas." Our mayor said Obama was directly responsible for Vegas being the hardest hit city from the recession. I don't see how any resident in Nevada could ever vote for Obama after this.

Vegas may never recover.

Besides that, how do you like this quote from Obama's book, "Audacity of Hope"? "I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in a ugly direction." If that doesn't scare Americans, what will?

The WSOP has started and my 1st event, the $50k mixed games, was the ultimate nightmare. I went deep, 30 players were left when I busted, 14 away from cashing. Two 12-hour days back to back and then 10 hours the 3rd day. I played well and my endurance was good so I'm not discouraged. I had to make the opening speech and the "shuffle up and deal." We were honoring my old pal Chip Reese and it made me realize how much I still miss him.

I'm going to rest until the 7 Card Stud tournament on the 4th. I've got to get more focused than I have been. My 1st tip that I needed to concentrate more was when I started brushing my teeth with Preparation H this morning

-DB

DOYLEISM OF THE DAY: "If you want a place in the sun, you have to put up with a few blisters."

Mon, 17 May 2010 08:13:05 -0700

After my fifteen game winning streak on TV cash games was broken on Friday the 13th (shudder), I've been getting lots of calls and e-mails about it. I don't watch that stuff much. Why? Do cab drivers go for rides on their day off? Anyway, I was very surprised there was that much interest in my winning streak. I've been criticized over and over in the forums for playing too conservatively but in today's environment, that is the correct way.

In my last blog I referred to an animal called a Kit Fox. This Kit Fox is catching and eating our neighborhood feral cats. I wasn't sure what it was so I googled it and sure enough, it is a desert nocturnal animal that eats smaller animals. Some of these feral male cats are really big so the fox probably preys on the young cats. If it wasn't against the law, (not that it bothers me much) I'd hide in the brush with my shotgun and kill the Kit Fox because I get attached to the cats, even to the point of putting food out for them.

DoylesRoom is sponsoring a beer pong contest at Hogs and Heifers downtown. Lara Miller, our publicist, arranged it and it should be a blast. It is the 26th of this month at 2:00 and will have a true bar-b-que. ESPN is coming to film it in conjunction with the WSOP. We had it last year and my son Todd won it with his partner. Hoyt Corkins and myself were runner-ups. It's open to everyone so come down and join us.

In response to the comments about me talking about the bad poker shows, I didn't mean the cash games. I've never seen a really bad cash game TV show and I believe the viewing public wants to see real players playing for real cash. And yes, almost all of the guys are playing their own money. DoylesRoom is toying with having a huge cash game with a few different twists. It will be on network TV and will be an interesting show. I was asked to be on the Golf Channel featuring "old time gamblers", Jack Binion, Bobby Baldwin, Dewey Tomko, Billy Walters, Mike Sexton and myself will be at a luncheon/golf tournament next week. The trouble is I haven't touched a club in two years and I couldn't play worth a flip then because of my bad leg. I don't think I want to perform in front of 180 million viewers with my swing. However, I'll be happy to do interviews about the old days and talk about today's economy in Vegas.

I was also invited to be a "celebrity chef" on a food program that airs on Fox this summer. It sounds like fun and I'll probably do it. I've cooked on a grill a lot and my lamb chops are out of sight. Lemon, pepper and liquid smoke are the secret. I'll fix my (and Paula Dean's) squash casserole to go with it. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Damn! Just when I was feeling good and had decided to make a full blown run trying to win a bracelet at the WSOP, all of a sudden I feel lethargic with no energy whatsoever. Hopefully it's what I call the "Brunson Blues". When I don't have something to gamble on, I start feeling bad. It's hard to call yourself a degenerate gambler but I guess that's what I am. I've had 57 years of almost non stop gambling and I need that adrenaline rush. Eli Elezra has been in Israel and he is the only one that will help me start real poker games. Playing on the internet isn't the same and the NBA playoffs are winding down. Oh well, maybe the WSOP will pick me up when it starts at the end of this month.

-DB