From Longworth to Las Vegas and 70 Years in
Between: Poker Legend Doyle Brunson Tells His Story
and Shares His Views on Life as a Gambler
(Part Two of a Two-Part Series)

[ Go to Part One »  |  Reading Part Two ]

[ Continued from Part One ]

NOLAN DALLA: How did you get the nickname, "Texas Dolly?"

BRUNSON: I guess you could say Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder gave me that nickname, in a roundabout way. "Texas Doyle" is what he used to call me. One year when we were at the World Series of Poker together, he called me "Texas Doyle" and some reporters heard it come out as "Texas Dolly." I just shook my head and laughed, but they printed it. So, I guess they've been calling me that ever since.

DALLA: Doyle, one thing you conveyed in all your writings and dealings over the years is the importance of honor amongst gamblers. You routinely make handshake deals worth thousands of dollars. You once said (paraphrasing), "I'm not going to do business with a man where I have to get a written contract. If I can't look him in the eye and take him at his word, then I don't want to deal with him." For readers seeing this interview, why is that concept so important -- which is to establish honor and trust among gamblers?

BRUNSON: Once you lose your reputation in this business, that's it. It's over. When I was coming up through the ranks, not that many people carried a lot money of money on them. This was before checks and credit cards. Sometimes, all you had was your word. So, we gambled with each other based on trust. Now, in the upper echelon of gambling and poker, we deal in such big figures that you can't actually talk to people anymore about this, because they all think you're lying. No one believes the big figures we exchange, and the trust we have amongst ourselves. For instance, last month we were playing in a big poker game and -- I'm not going to use the guy's name -- he loaned this other guy in the game a million dollars. Finally, the game broke up and he turned and said to me, "Hey, I loaned that guy a million bucks -- and I don't even know his last name!" I told him, as far as I know, he's never done a thing wrong about money. So, you gotta' give him credit. But, he didn't even know the guy's last name! And, we all laughed about it. Of course, the guy made good on the loan. That's what I'm talking about -- that real gamblers can be trusted when they give their word.

DALLA: Doyle, you now have three grown children and one (son Todd) is also a professional poker player. Did you encourage him, and did you want him to follow in your footsteps?

BRUNSON: Absolutely not. We never talk about gambling around my house. Todd went to college. He attended Texas Tech and started playing poker there in Lubbuck. He came home one summer and he was playing in the smaller games here in Las Vegas. I'm watching him and I can see that the kid's got talent. I could especially see he had a lot of heart. And so, I didn't really discourage him. He said to me, "I'm going to go back to college and afterwards I'm going to play poker." His mother threw a fit when she heard that. But I didn't, because I thought he had talent. I didn't really teach him the game. He just picked it up on his own. He asked me some questions about poker strategy. I tried to answer him the best I could, but there is no definitive answer. You get asked what would you do in this situation -- and my answer was always the same. It would depend on who it was, where it was, the situation, and everything. I mean there are usually no direct answers to how do you play such-and-such a hand when somebody raises in front. Every poker situation is different. The only way you can learn is to play.

DALLA: You once said, that you could play poker with a table full of players and not look at your hole cards, and so long as they didn't know that you didn't look at your cards, you could outplay most of your opponents and win. Can you talk about that concept?

BRUNSON: Oh, yeah. That's the ideal poker game. It's just like when I got broke out of the Bellagio tournament (the championship finale of the World Poker Tour) with a Queen-Eight. Some people saw I busted out with that hand and didn't understand what I was doing. But to me, it could have been a Seven-Deuce in my hand -- it's the same thing. I was playing the situation. I hadn't made a pair all day long. This guy makes a $60,000 raise before the flop -- it was just a token raise to me, so I bet $500,000 more and moved "all in" because I thought I could win the pot right there. Well, the guy called me down with two Jacks and broke two of us at the table. I don't know how he could make that call, but he did. So, I made a bad read. Even though he's got two jacks, most people would have thrown them away in that spot. But that's poker. You can't hold enough hands coming into these tournaments without making some courageous plays.

DALLA: You would have made that same raise if you had Seven-Deuce in your hand (the worst possible hold'em hand)?

BRUNSON: Absolutely. It wouldn't have made a difference what I had. My two cards didn't matter. It was the situation. That's what I'm talking about. Ninety percent of the hands aren't shown in a poker game. You raise it, and you bet. Then, you bet again. Especially when there's a lot of money on the table. So when I said one time that I could beat a game without looking at my cards, that's what I mean. It's the situations that arise. It's not the cards that you have all the time that makes you a winner or a loser.

DALLA: You won poker's biggest prize -- the world championship back-to-back in 1976 and 1977. You have won nine titles at the World Series of Poker, which ties you for the all-time career record. You have made millions of dollars playing poker and could retire and live comfortably. Are there still things you hope to accomplish (as a gambler)?

BRUNSON: I think by this time, I've lost most of my ego. I'm a bottom-line guy now. Maybe it's because some other critical events that have happened in my life. I now see what the really important things in life are and they don't relate to what I do for a living. My wife Louise and I -- we lost a daughter several years ago (Doyla was a freshman at UNLV, and died suddenly at age 18). That made me came to the realization that I was fooling myself with some things. Since that time, I think I've lost most of my ego. Not completely -- I mean I still have pride for what I've accomplished and I want to leave a positive legacy behind me. I certainly don't know who the best poker player is. I think my claim to fame is my longevity. You know, I've played high-stakes poker longer than any player ever has -- and I'm thankful I've made it this far.

DALLA: Most people who know you are aware that you are a very religious man. There are stories of you playing poker, then suddenly getting up in the middle of a game, and going to go to church. Can you talk about what spirituality means to you?

BRUNSON: I grew up in a very religious family. My mom and dad were both Baptists. I went to church with them a lot. Then, when I got into poker, I kind of lost that commitment. When I lost my daughter, Doyla, I was sitting at home thinking what life was all about. The thought of money and fame and all that is nice to have. But it's not what's really important. I don't really like the word "religious." I mean, I'm a Christian. And, I have Christian beliefs. But "religious" is kind of a word that is often misunderstood by people and used the wrong way. I met a friend who is a preacher. He also lost a daughter, so that's how we met. He got to hanging around with me and got to meet with many of the poker players. He saw people with personal problems and he wanted to help them. So, I suggested we should set up some meetings and he would conduct them. I brought him to the poker tournaments and he would come up around and try to help people. I've seen guys get up from big poker games and go to these Bible studies. He was such a great teacher that I really enjoyed listening to him myself. I know he also helped a lot of guys over the years.

DALLA: You have said before that you're not religious in the traditional sense, but you are committed to high virtues. You're into doing good things for people. I think that attitude comes through in everything you do.

BRUNSON: I definitely have Christian beliefs. You know what they are. You don't have to sit in the front rows at church every Sunday to have those beliefs. My way is a lot different that most people's way. I have taken a different path in life. A lot of people don't understand it. I'm not going to argue with them. You believe what you want, and I'll believe what I want.

DALLA: The greatest bluff you ever made in your life didn't even take place at a poker table. Tell us what happened when you fooled the muggers who tried to rob you at your house a few years ago.

BRUNSON: (Laughing) We were coming home one night to my house and when we got to the front door there were two bandits dressed up and they were going to rob us. I didn't want to take them in my house, so I faked a heart attack right on the spot. I remembered Titanic Thompson used to do that when he was being robbed. The difference between us was, he carried a gun in a shoulder holster. When grabbing for his heart, he would come out with his gun blasting away. He killed five "would be" robbers in his life. Anyway, when I started falling to the ground, the bandits got scared and ran off.

DALLA: Do you like being recognized here in Las Vegas? You walk around town and surely people recognize you and know the name "Doyle Brunson." Do you like being recognized publicly?

BRUNSON: Not really. Like I said, I kind of lost my ego in later years. I've been asked to go on television shows. I use to do it all the time for the Horseshoe. I still do my best to promote poker. I do my best to promote the World Series of Poker. That's kind of the reason I do what I do -- not for personal recognition. It's to pay my dues back to poker.

DALLA: A final question, Doyle. After winning your last gold bracelet at the World Series of Poker a few months ago, you were asked when you might retire, and you said: "I'll retire when I quit winning." How much longer do you think you can go?

BRUNSON: I don't know. I really don't. I know I'm fortunate to have played at this level and I still win more often than I lose. I've kept an active mind. Through the years I've never stopped doing things, thinking about things, and I still think young. I don't think old. Nowadays, when I see pictures of myself -- I have to ask, "Who is that guy?" When I saw those pictures of me at the poker tournament, I couldn't believe how old I looked. I still have the mentality of a 19-year-old mind. It's funny the way you look at yourself. I had this certain image of myself that was different than the way other people probably see me. I mean, I never had an image of myself as a fat person. While I knew I was fat, I didn't see myself that way. My mental image of myself was of the boy who grew up in Texas and set the record for running the mile. Deep down, I'm still that kid inside.

With special thanks to George Fisher and Judy Klein.

Nolan Dalla can be contacted at: nolandalla@aol.com