Who was Doyle Brunson, the first person to win $1 million in poker?
Football had Pelé, then Maradona, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Basketball had Wilt Chamberlain, then Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James. Poker had Doyle Brunson, then him again, and again, and yet another.
Honored last Sunday (2) in Las Vegas, during the World Series of Poker (WSOP, a kind of world championship), Brunson died on May 14 as a poker legend, unmistakable with a cowboy hat on his head and a smile on his face.
He was 89 years old and, just a few months earlier, was still successfully playing at the most expensive tables in the United States. Throughout his career, he witnessed and influenced transformations in the game and knew, more than anyone, how to adapt to the times, earning a place in the hall of fame and the nickname "Godfather of Poker".
When he started out in 1950s Texas, he frequented clandestine gambling tables where the mafia called the shots. He carried a revolver on his hip and, according to his memoirs, saw a man get shot in the head during a game.
During that time, he received threats, lost all his money several times – not always to honest opponents – and was arrested many times, but he already loved poker too much to give it up.
Competitive since childhood, Texan Brunson found in card games a substitute for the adrenaline he could no longer feel in sports. In high school, he was a state champion in the 1.500-meter race; in college, at 1,91 m tall, he became a basketball star and caught the attention of the Minneapolis Lakers.
That door closed, however, during a summer spell. On his way to his final year at Hardin-Simmons University, he was working in a plaster factory when a pile of the material fell on his leg, causing an open fracture and dashing his NBA dreams.
He graduated without plans for the future, earned a master's degree in administration and education, and took a job as a salesman to support himself. One day, at a poker table, he won more than his monthly salary in three hours.
It wasn't long before he tried his hand at becoming a professional player. In retrospect, he stated that he had an advantage because he was the only person with a higher education in that environment.
He studied probability and strategy, moved to Las Vegas, and helped launch the WSOP at the Horseshoe casino, then run by Benny Bennion – a Dallas organized crime boss convicted of one murder and accused of two others.
In 1976, Brunson won the seventh edition of the tournament and pocketed US$220. In 1977, he repeated the feat, taking home US$340. On both occasions, the winning hand was a 10 and a 2, one of the worst hands in Texas Hold'em, a game that was gaining more and more followers.
The competition, to be honest, didn't deserve the title of world championship, since only 20 or 30 people participated – almost nothing compared to the more than 8.500 who play in the main event nowadays, with a buy-in of US$10 (R$47.870). Even so, adjusted for inflation, Brunson's two prizes would total almost US$3 million (R$14,4 million).
With the notoriety of his two championships, he published "How I Made Over $1.000.000 Playing Poker" in 1979, a book that became a success and helped popularize the game.
For the first time, amateurs could learn the secrets of a professional – even more so one considered the first to accumulate seven figures in tournaments. The teachings stood the test of time; new editions, titled "Super System," continued to be a benchmark in a game that, like any other, evolved over the years.
As mathematical evaluations and game theory gained increasing importance, Brunson knew how to adapt; when poker left the underground poker rooms and gained television exposure, he did the same. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was a guaranteed presence in high-stakes televised games.
Brunson had some bad days playing poker – losing $6 million in a losing streak – but his overall balance is quite positive. Although the exact figure is unknown, estimates exceed $50 million.
In tournaments, he amassed just over US$6 million, including ten WSOP titles (each edition features various poker modalities). He is the second-highest winner in history, despite never prioritizing tournaments.
Known as "Texas Dolly," he always preferred gambling, with minimum bets exceeding $500. In these gambling dens, even though they are no longer clandestine, there is no accounting of the results.
His greatest achievement, however, is incalculable for the world of poker. In Sunday's tribute, it was decided that, at least among poker enthusiasts, October 2nd (10/2 in American notation) will be Doyle Brunson Day, a way to remember his lucky hand. ( Folha de S.Paulo – Uirá Machado)
