Rumours of his death have been greatly exaggerated. At least once a year, a rumour circulates that the great professional poker player Doyle Brunson has passed away. Of course, these are either misinformation or mere jokes designed to rile up the poker community. The 76-year-old, known as Texas Dolly, is very much alive, having just published his autobiography, The Godfather of Poker.
The story of Doyle Brunson is one that has been seen in print before. His prefaces to the original SuperSystem, first published as How I Made Over $1,000,000 Playing Poker in 1978, gave an overview of his Texas days and early triumphs at the World Series of Poker. Other poker books, like According to Doyle, a compilation of columns originally published in 1984 then later repackaged as Poker Wisdom of a Champion, also shares particular anecdotes from the great career of the Godfather of Poker.
This latest poker book, written by Brunson and longtime Texan journalist Mike Cochran, offers a much more comprehensive account of the life and career of Texas Dolly, and thus will surely become the most reference poker book for Brunson’s life story, as well as a very useful resource for those interested in the last fifty years of poker history.
The Godfather of Poker starts off with a harrowing home invasion just one night after Brunson had claimed another World Series of Poker bracelet. Leaving that scene on a cliffhanger, we are taken back to the earlier chapters of Doyle Brunson’s life: his childhood days growing up in Longworth, Texas, his love for athletics (including track and basketball), and his education at Hardin-Simmons University.
Finally, readers of The Godfather of Poker are treated to the story that they have really tuned in for. Brunson’s poker career is separated into four distinct periods: his early tutelage playing poker games on Exchange Avenue in north Fort Worth, his time traveling around Texas in search of more action, moving to Las Vegas at the age of 40 and establishing himself as a high-stakes winner and collector of World Series of Poker bracelets, and the post-poker boom years after 2003 in which the septuagenarian discovers himself as a bona fide poker celebrity.
The poker book offers a riveting history from beginning to end. Doyle Brunson concludes: “I feel you own your experiences. Think about that as you go through life. I can’t tell you that the cards you’re dealt will be the ones you want, but whatever they turn out to be, play them wisely, honestly, and with passion and pleasure. That’s the secret.”
