The World Series of Poker would not be the same without Doyle Brunson. Sadly for many poker fans, the man known affectionally as ‘Texas Dolly’ after his back-to-back world championship wins in 1976 and 1977 with ten-deuce hasn’t played any of the first 40 WSOP events in 2022.
That might all be about to change, however, as the Texan Poker Hall of Fame legend announced not only his signing to the World Poker Tour as a Global Ambassador, but that he will likely play the biggest WSOP tournament of all – the Main Event.
The Godfather of Poker Announces the News
Doyle Brunson isn’t just a 10-time WSOP bracelet winner, he’s a World Poker Tour winner too, and this week’s announcement will please poker fans who enjoy both of those events and idolise the Poker Hall of Famer Doyle Brunson.
Now, Texas Dolly is a WPT Global Ambassador after he announced that he is joining the poker giant. Not only that, but he believes that he’ll play the world’s biggest poker tournament patched up by the company he represents – the World Series of Poker Main Event. Here’s how the legendary poker great broke the news to his many fans on Twitter.
I probably am going to play the main event, hoping the covid has died down a little.
— Doyle Brunson Legacy (@TexDolly) June 21, 2022
Brunson’s involvement in the WSOP Main Event would be a major headline, especially given how concerned he has – rightly – been about the possibility of catching COVID. Brunson’s wife is everything to the World Series legend and he is wary of any health concerns that he or his family need to be aware of.
Welcoming Texas Dolly
“Doyle has been a part of the World Poker Tour from the very beginning.”
World Poker Tour winner Brunson, who won the WPT Legends of Poker event in 2004 for $1.1 million, is keen to improve on his record in WPT Events, with that score still the biggest live poker tournament result of his career. As The WPT’s CEO Adam Pliska says, however, Doyle has always been present on the Tour.
“Doyle has been a part of the World Poker Tour from the very beginning,” Pliska said. “I was there for his WPT Legends of Poker victory in 2004 when he joined the WPT Champions Club, and to also be here to welcome him to the WPT family after all this time feels surreal.”
Brunson is the biggest name on the World Poker Tour’s roster, but after an aggressive start to 2022 in terms of recruitment, the WPT must be delighted to add Texas Dolly to fellow WPT players and celebrities such as Andrew Neeme, Brad Owen and Steve Aoki. It’s clear that Brunson will bring notoriety to the party that is figuratively hosted by Aoki and his DJ skills, whilst probably being blogged by Owen or Neeme.
Brunson’s Main Event History
Doyle Brunson’s WSOP Main Event history would shame the hardiest of competitors when the lights dim in July for the big one. After winning in 1976 and 1977, beating Jesse Alto and Gary Berland respectively to win a total of $560,000 nearly half a century years ago, a huge amount of money for the time.
Despite winning back-to-back titles, Brunson busted on Day 1 of the 1978 Main Event and while he has enjoyed deep runs since then, has never returned to the final table in the 45 years since he took the 1977 World Championship.
Brunson hasn’t won a bracelet since he claimed his 10th back in 2005, but reached the $10,000-entry No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship final table in 2018 and performed admirably in last year’s Main Event back in mid-November. Brunson failed to cash but along the way got really unlucky, and even made two superstar folds that would have seen thousands of others bust in the same spot.
With a decent run of the cards in 2022, could we enjoy a final flourish in the WSOP Main Event from the 88-year-old whose legacy just keeps growing? In a game that lives and breathes on narratives that a Hollywood scriptwriter would reject as fantasy, why on Earth not?
