DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”

I reluctantly left the beautiful city of Budapest and went to Nottingham for the English Open.  I flew into London and took a 2 ½ hour ride in a nice limo to get there.  Nottingham is a quaint small city and the people that held the event were extremely efficient and really took care of us.  Rake The Rake was the sponsor of the Open and there were over 200 entries.  Karim, the owner of Rake The Rake took care of the publicity for Doyles Poker Room.  He was a terrific host.

Phil Hellmuth was there but we didn’t carry the US banner very well and we were both eliminated the first day.  I had eight touring pros at my table and they played extremely well.  Phil left for London but I decided to stay for a couple days more.

We took a ride up to Sherwood Forest looking for Robin Hood and his band but couldn’t find him.  Lots of the business places carried Robin’s name and his folklore tales were told everywhere we went.  One of the most interesting places we visited was the Nottingham Palace where Robin Hood’s adversary, the Sheriff of Nottingham, lived in the olden days.  It was a big castle with underground caves that went for miles under the city.  Also, the oldest pub in England was dug into the rocks around the castle.

Now we are back in London for the WSOP Europe.  This damp, cold weather doesn’t agree with me but we are having a big press party on Wednesday night to announce the signing of the fourth member of the Brunson 10.  I can’t tell you his name but we are in his home country.

After the final event I can’t wait to get back to Las Vegas and see Louise, Pam, and my dogs.  Todd and Anjela got here yesterday so maybe I won’t be so homesick with them here.  Still, I’m ready for some Vegas sunshine!

-DB

Budapest

I don’t know what I expected Budapest to be, but it was entirely different.  The city is absolutely gorgeous with the Danube River flowing right through the center.  Budapest is two cities – Buda and Pest, the oldest being Pest.  There are ten or more beautiful bridges across the Danube and most of them are breathtaking.  During World War II the Germans bombed all the bridges but they have been restored.  The people were nice and seemed to be genuinely very friendly.

When I went to Manila and Macau I was surprised that so many people knew who I was; but it seemed that in Hungary not only did lots of folks know me, it seemed everyone had a translated SuperSystem and wanted an autograph.  Ok, I finally get it.  Poker players are rock stars!  LOL The truth is we are a bunch of lucky people that came along at the right time.  I don’t see any reason to think we are celebs.  I just hope everybody remembers who they are and where they came from.  I guess this is just the power of television.

I was surprised again in Budapest when a 1960 Cadillac convertible picked us up at the airport, courtesy of the Doyle Brunson Poker Klub.  I remember  a couple of years ago some poker players from Hungary had asked permission to use the name but I had forgotten about it.  The Klub had a party for us with a small tournament, gave us 24-hour car service, took us on a helicopter tour and a river cruise.  The Klub was one of the nicest ones in Budapest and the management team went the extra mile to be sure our stay was an enjoyable one.  It was!

We also went to Buda Castle to a wine tasting festival and afterwards to an old-style Hungarian restaurant for a great meal.  Then we went to a night club called Bed and Beach where we ran into friends Sigmund from Finland and Karim from RaketheRake.  I thought the XS at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas was big but this was acres and acres of people dancing.

This was one of my most memorable trips and I just wish my family could have been with me.  Hopefully next year!

-DB

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “The only person you are with your entire life is yourself. Be alive while you are alive!”

I can’t believe the interest the Brunson 10 is getting. For the ones who aren’t familiar with this, DoylesRoom is in the process of selecting 10 of the most qualified online poker players to sign up and represent us. The requirements are pretty simple. Not only do the members of the 10 have to be good players, they have to be well mannered and personable. I’m not ready to pass the torch quite yet, but these guys will be the future of DoylesRoom. We have signed three of the 10 already: Amit Makhija, Alec Torelli and Zach Clark. Two more will be signed this month and two more in October. They need three remaining players to finish the 10. If any of you young internet players are interested, join the already long list of prospects at DoylesRoom. Contact will@dbpn.com. These players don’t want to be just another pro at the bigger sites. With DoylesRoom, they will get better exposure. I can’t wait to meet all of them.

The Brunson house has four new pets. A stray cat had kittens up on our rock waterfall and they have made their home in the bushes and trees surrounding the pool. In spite of ourselves, Louise and I are growing attached to them and put food up on the rocks. We can’t make house pets out of them because Casper, my toy poodle, has a fit everytime he sees them and chases them off. It’s too bad, the cats are cute and we love animals.

I’ve been working on my autobiography for the last week. We started this book five years ago, then stopped. At my family’s urging, we finished it and it will be in the stores the first week of November. I still have my reservations about putting this out.

This will be my last blog for 3-4 weeks. I’m going to Budapest for an affiliate convention then to Nottingham, then to Birmingham, then London. I guess I’ll play the WSOP Europe while I’m there plus the Caesar’s Cup and English Open. I come back to Vegas in early Oct. and go to Montana for Todd’s tournament. Then in the middle of Oct., I go to Abilene, Texas where my University is inducting me into their athletic Hall of Fame. It’s about time, after snubbing me for 40 years because I chose to be a gambler. I guess times do change. Then, in early November I go to Orlando for the High Stakes Entertainment poker-golf school. You should go if possible. Check it out on www.pokergolfacademy.com.

Here I am, three-quarters of a century old and traveling the world like some kid. I’ve always suspected I might be a little crazy and this confirms it. When I get back from Orlando, the farthest I’m going is the city limits of Las Vegas. Uh-oh, maybe Montana.

-DB