The Godfather of Poker: The Doyle Brunson Story

by Doyle Brunson, Mike Cochran

Fascinating true-life adventure of an American treasure, a man who bluffed death, survived the mean streets of Fort Worth and mob-run Las Vegas, and bet millions of dollars on everything from poker to golf, to become a two-time world champion poker player.

The story of Doyle Brunson, an American treasure and the greatest poker player of all time, is one for the ages. It’s a story of guts and glory, of good luck and bad, of triumph and unspeakable tragedy, of courage and grace. He has survived whippings, gun fights, stabbings, mobsters (the real-life ones portrayed in the movie Casino ), murderers, and a death sentence when, riddled with incurable cancer, he was given months to live by doctors who told him his hand was played out. Apparently, fate had never played poker with Brunson—he lived. Of a group of 32 men he played poker with in the tough alleys of Texas, just he and one other survived the treacherous perils of that life. A master of the bluff, his most outrageous bluff came after being pistol-whipped and told he’s going to die with a gunman pointing a pistol at his forehead. Again, he lived. He’s gambled for millions of dollars—and with his life against the real-life mobsters and killers made famous in the movie Casino —and was the biggest sports bettor in the world with a reputation of betting enormous sums of money on just about anything . Doyle has not only made more money at golf than anyone else until Tiger Woods came along, he once bet one million dollars on a single hole—that, when he was virtually wheelchair-bound and could barely stand. He’s been hard-up flat broke more times than he’s got fingers and has won millions of dollars just as many times. Brunson has seen it from the athletic dreams and a leg shattered by a freak injury which waylaid his path to the NBA (he was drafted by the Lakers), to the devastating death of his first-born daughter, to outrageous exploits like trying to discover Noah’s Ark and raise the Titanic. Doyle’s rollercoaster of a life defines the Truth is stranger than fiction.

Twice a winner of the prestigious World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, he's won millions and lost millions—sometimes in seconds—but decidedly more of the former than the latter. Brunson can still be found playing in the highest stakes poker games in the world, often with as much as one million dollars in front of him. To every one of the 250 million people worldwide who play poker each year, Doyle Brunson, is the legendary “Babe Ruth of Poker”—the greatest gambler and poker player who has ever lived.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2008

About the author

Doyle Brunson, nicknamed "Texas Dolly" is an American poker player, who won the World Series of Poker in 1976 and 1977.

Reviews

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts real strong but loses steam fast and in a big way. Could stand to be at least 50 pages shorter, and keeps my streak of "memoirs/autobiographies that are not chronological" which drives me insane. Front half is a 5*, back half is a 2*, meet in the middle.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to read this! Looks like a full house of fun.

[Onlinepokernet4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hogyan válasszuk ki a megfelelő pókerváltozatot az Ön számára

A póker egy végtelen lehetőségekkel rendelkező játék, változatos változatok széles skálájával, hogy megfeleljenek a különböző preferenciáknak és képességszinteknek. A megfelelő pókervariáció kiválasztása nagyban befolyásolhatja a játék élvezetét és sikerét. Ebben a cikkben megvizsgálunk néhány kulcsfontosságú tényezőt, amelyeket figyelembe kell venni az érdeklődési körének és a játékstílusának megfelelő pókerváltozat kiválasztásakor. Ezt a linket ajánljuk Önnek, ahol megtalálja oldalunkat, ahol többet megtudhat a pókerről és az online kaszinókról, ahol fogadhat erre a csodálatos játékra.

1. Ismerje meg preferenciáit:

Mielőtt belemerülne a pókerváltozatok világába, szánjon egy pillanatot arra, hogy átgondolja játékosként preferenciáit és céljait. A gyors játékot vagy a stratégiaibb játékot részesíti előnyben? Egyszerű szabályokkal rendelkező változatot keresel, vagy olyat, amely összetett játékmenetet kínál? A beállítások megértése segít leszűkíteni a lehetőségeket.

2. Fontolja meg készségszintjét:

A póker különböző változatai különböző szintű készségeket és tapasztalatokat igényelnek. Ha még új vagy a játékban, érdemes egyszerűbb változatokkal kezdeni, mint például a Texas Hold'em vagy az Omaha, amelyek népszerűek a kezdők körében. Másrészt, ha tapasztalt játékos vagy, aki kihívást keres, érdemes lehet olyan összetettebb lehetőségeket is felfedezni, mint a Seven Card Stud (itt) vagy a Razz.

3. Elemezze a szabályokat és a játékot:

Minden pókerváltozathoz saját szabályrendszer és játékmechanika tartozik. Szánjon időt arra, hogy megismerje az egyes variációk szabályait, és felmérje, hogyan egyeznek meg preferenciáival és játékstílusával. Egyes változatok több licitkört foglalhatnak magukban, míg mások bizonyos leosztási rangokra vagy fogadási struktúrákra összpontosíthatnak.

4. Értékelje a játékosállományt:

A pókerváltozat kiválasztásakor vegye figyelembe, hogy milyen játékosokkal fog versenyezni. Egyes változatok, mint például a Texas Hold'em, nagy és változatos játékosbázissal rendelkeznek, ami megkönnyíti a játékok megtalálását bármilyen képzettségi szinten. Mások, például a ritkábban elterjedt változatok vagy résformátumok, kisebb játékoskészlettel rendelkezhetnek, ami befolyásolhatja a rendszeres játékkeresési képességét.

5. Kísérletezzen és fedezzen fel:

Ne féljen kísérletezni különböző pókerváltozatokkal, hogy megtalálja azokat, amelyek rezonálnak Önnek. Használja ki az online pókerplatformokat és az élő pókertermeket, hogy kipróbálhassa a különböző változatokat, és gyakorlati tapasztalatokat szerezzen. Legyen nyitott, és legyen hajlandó alkalmazkodni, amikor felfedezi a játék új aspektusait.

6. Kérjen tanácsot és útmutatást:

Végül ne habozzon tanácsot és útmutatást kérni más játékosoktól, pókerközösségektől és erőforrásoktól. Vegyen részt megbeszéléseken, vegyen részt póker workshopokon vagy szemináriumokon, és olvasson cikkeket és könyveket a különböző változatokról, hogy elmélyítse a tudását és fejlessze készségeit.

Összegezve, a megfelelő pókervariáció kiválasztása magában foglalja a preferenciák megértését, a képzettségi szint felmérését, a szabályok és a játékmenet elemzését, a játékosok készletének áttekintését és a különböző lehetőségek kutatását. Ha követi ezeket az irányelveket, és nyitott marad az új élményekre, megtalálhatja a tökéletes pókervariációt, amely egyszerre kínál élvezetet és lehetőséget a fejlődésre.

[Edward Kuruliouk · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Red couldn't believe what he was looking at. He just stared at those cards like he'd seen a ghost. But I couldn't believe what I was seeing either. Reds face turned white, his eyes rolled back, and he started turning blue. Red fell out of his chair and was dead before he hit the floor. The doctor said he had a massive heart attack. There was nothing I could do but collect his chips and pull them into my stack. I felt bad, but that's poker and bad beats happen. That was the second man I saw die at the table. Both were playing lowball. Maybe that why hold'em eventually became the game of choice."

The life story of a true living legend. Take a wild ride through the history of poker in America (1950's-2009) filtered through the perspective of a goddamn legend - Doyle Brunson. Reading this book felt like sitting with my grandfather hearing him tell me all the secret stories he always avoided telling people. I loved it. Unfortunately I can't give a book with too many spelling/grammatical errors 5 stars, but I would recommend this book to all poker players and anyone who enjoys biographies about interesting human beings with major accomplishments.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this is a biography? The problem with having a journalist friend write a 350 page biography of you is that it lacks structure and turns into a jumble of anecdotes that repeat themselves. You can kind of tell that Brunson relayed his (albeit extraordinarily curious) life in front of a recorder and the author tried to turn that into a proper biography. Still, if you're interested in gambling there are a hell of a lot of curous stories and characters in this book. I can't imagine winning or losing $1.5 million dollars on a putt at a golf course, or the turn of a card, (especially in 1970 when that was worth so much more money!) which is why someone like this who operates in the nosebleed section of gambling is so curious. We are not fundamentally alike.
Really, this is kind of a meh book about a very interesting person. An elite athlete who found poker early and never looked back. Someone who hung out with gangsters, celebrities, and has won and lost more than the average person can imagine. Still, it could have been 200 solid pages with some editing.

[Geoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of Poker, stories of older era under belly goings-on and Vegas. The Godfather of Poker has it all. Doyle Brunson has been there, seen it, done it and gone back and done it again. His is a remarkable story and one I highly recommend either reading about or better yet listening to as he tells his own story just majestically. His voice alone captivates you and the stories he has are all just gold. From the early days of his childhood and life in a small Texas town to when he first starts playing poker and gets hooked then on through all the incredible events that transpired between then and now (now being 2009). He has lead an incredible life. I have true admiration and respect for him, more than ever before.

This is an overall 5+ star biography/poker insider story. It is also a true 5+ star Audible reading. At least that is my opinion as it hits all boxes on my checklist in the Biography/True Story genre of books.

[J.R. Murdock · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you lobe poker...

I've been playing poker since I was a teen. I discovered the WSOP before it was a televised sensation. I've played many varieties of the game and live Texas Hold 'em. I play casually and never take the game seriously, but I owe a debt of gratitude to Doyle for making poker what it is today.

I'd heard many stories of his life, but hearing it from his own words and getting the vividness of what he went through to make poker what it is, well, you just need to read this book for yourself to know.

[DeRoy Silveous · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avid Reader

Though a fan of Doyle Brunson I found this book somewhat challenging to read. Seriously, it could have been edited and shortened to half the pages in this current edition. I won’t spoil further readers enjoyment by explaining my review in detail, suffice to say that too many references to various topics became boring.

[Santiago Mansilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

One the best biographies I've ever read about a poker player.

You can read about the incredible life of the legend and Poker Hall of Famer Doyle Brunson. But you can also read about great players such as Stu Ungar, Jack Strauss, Amarillo Slim, Chip Resse and Benny Binion.

If you want to read about the history of poker read this book.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography about one of the legends of poker, it's not really a "Poker" book so to speak but more a book of stories that involve poker, Doyle faced gunslingers, robbers, cheaters, mobsters on his journey and climb to the top.

[Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great American poker story from an old master. Tales of the times when poker was like the wild west involving gangsters, violence, robbings and being hunted by the police just for playing poker. Doyle is a likeable, charming character.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many of these, interesting anthropology, particular about the Texas Circuit and pre-Vegas pre-WSOP days. But it goes pretty long.

[Jonas Roemer · Rating 3 out of 5]

very interesting story with some sobering moments; being the last of an old guard as all his friends have died off made me reflect about my own life. Tons of crazy stories too

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating biography of a giant of the game. Would recommend.

[Nathan Woll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good

[Thomas Innes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book - Doyles life was a crazy one and well worth the read especially if youre a poker fan or player

[Cody Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10
Amazing stories of old time poker in the 1950s-present. the tales make it fun/dangerous. Degens gambling over trivial stuff not just poker.

[John Goguen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doyle is an inspiration a true man

[Evan Dickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doyle Brunson's autobiography will hold wide appeal to poker players, especially those who consider themselves fans or aficianados of the game's history and personalities. Certain the appeal is a lot less for those who don't already know who Doyle Brunson is; he only serves to reinforce most of the stereotypes that many already have about poker players and gamblers, and does so almost in a matter of pride. Hard to blame him, I suppose, when you start to understand the staggering amount of money he was won playing Texas Hold'Em over the years.

The problem is, while his stories of witnessing murder in illegal Fort Worth casinos and nearly being killed in a home invasion in Las Vegas are certainly compelling in their content, Doyle is just not a great writer. He writes like you'd expect an old Texas man to tell stories--spends too little time on the most important stuff, too much time on silly stuff, and repeats and rambles far too often. It's hard to tell who his target audience truly is, since he spends most of the book seeming to appeal to those who know little about gambling mentality, but then focuses on stories that are so inside it's hard to find any mass appeal.

It's disappointing how fast Doyle blows through his tremendous accomplishments in the mid-2000s -- his incredible victory at the Bicycle over Lee Watkinson on the WPT (probably the greatest WPT show ever), his 9th and 10th bracelets, and his deep main event run in 2004 combined get fewer pages than one high-stakes golf game with Tony Spilotro (Doyle clearly prefers to write about golf over poker). It's also too bad that the book couldn't give us a deeper insight into Doyle's thoughts on Stu Ungar or Phil Hellmuth, the latter only mentioned twice in passing. And the last 30 pages are a rambling mess, with absolutely no content of substance but a rambling repeat of different ways to say "I love my wife, I love my kids, I sure am blessed...now what was I saying again?" This book deserved a stronger touch from an editor.

Having gotten all that off my chest, I liked this book, because the stuff about Doyle's adventures on the mean streets of Texas gamblers and the beginning of modern-day Vegas, complete with mafia cheating and murderous gangsters, is really great to read about. The story of Doyle throwing the 1972 main event for fear of his family learning he was a professional gambler is pretty entertaining (Wikipedia notes this was also due to fear of the IRS; Doyle never mentions any such tax concerns in the book other than assuring us he pays all his taxes). And I am a poker fan, clearly the target audience of this book. The UIGEA coverage is minimal and the book is pre-Black Friday, and there is certainly no strategy of any kind discussed. But poker fans will surely find some history they didn't know about, and can speed-read through the boring stuff while multi-tabling anyway. Recommended, but only if you already know what poker hand is called the Doyle Brunson; otherwise, look for a different book.

[Ruel · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a few years I read a lot of poker books, from strategy to history to biographies. One of my favorites was (and still is) Doyle Brunson's Super/System because not only did it offer solid strategy, but also a glimpse into Brunson's colorful past. The Godfather of Poker is a continuation and expansion of that part of Super/System as Brunson recounts his life as a Texas gambler making a living while playing poker.

There are ups and downs, huge bets won and lost, and more than one brush with death. He's certainly lived a charmed life and the amounts of money he's wagered is staggering. And somehow he's survived to see poker grow from a seedy, backroom game to mainstream popularity.

Well-written and fascinating from start to finish, The Godfather of Poker is a must-read for any poker fan.

[Eddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read. It is well paced and the chapters are well spread out. I would prefer to call Doyle Brunson the Father of Poker, and not so much the Godfather of Poker, but that's just me. I liked that the book reads like one hearing Doyle speak in keeping his accent. There are great stories along the way and excellent insights into some of the older characters in the poker world. Also, there is a lot of insight into the golfing environment that Doyle played in and gambled on in his career, as well as a lot of background into his family dynamics which was good reading.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Texas Dolly is entertaining but could probably be half as long. His anecdotes about the Fort Worth poker circuit back in the day are gold: it legitimately sounds like the Wild West, with gun fights, robberies, double-crosses and the like. And the amount these guys bet on everything - from cards to golf to random things like weight loss challenges - is staggering. I was, however, less interested in his family, and by the end of the book, it unfortunately sounds like they are his primary audience.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, as a poker fan and someone familiar with the author I was very interested in his history and background and that part was good. I would have enjoyed more detail about certain later periods of his life but I certainly gained an appreciation for his early development. Definitely larger than life. The book is not a literary classic, nor was it intended to be, but for anyone who is familiar with the author it is an interesting glimpse into a very unique world this book provides it although a little slim on details in certain areas.

[Eohlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it's important in the age of Internet poker to remember that things weren't always so easy for professional players. Doyle's story is interesting in it's own right - from hiding his professional poker playing from his wife and family, to being robbed - and tragic with the loss of his daughter.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book proves what a great man and a badass Doyle is it was kind of slow going at points but I expect that with any nonfiction I recommend it for poker players and also non players to get a glimpse into an honest gamblers life.

[Chad Harberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great autobiography of the greatest poker player in history. From poor roots in rural Texas to the bright lights of Las Vegas, Doyle Brunson has lived a colorful life.

[Matt Skains · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories, but I think he needs a stronger editor.

[TJ Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book read like I was a grandchild sitting at his feet while Grandpa Doyle spun his tales. I'm completely fascinated by his life stories!

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Athlete, poker player, gambler and legend.

Doyle is in his 80's now and still going strong. A great read about his fascinating life, gambling, Las Vegas and more.

[Jay Deiboldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book about an amazing guy who has done many amazing things.