DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “One generation opens the road upon which another generation travels.”

Home at last! I’ve still got pretty good endurance but 3 1/2 weeks in Europe got the best of me. In the main event at the WSOPE we were down to seventeen players at the dinner break. I was a little short stacked with $200,000 and I could see it was going to be a long night to get to the final table and it would be another long day after it was down to the final nine, so I decided to play very fast and to accumulate a lot of chips or go out. I moved in the first hand after the dinner break and was eliminated.

I had hurt my left hip and left knee somewhere and with my bad right leg I was in a lot of pain. These long hours in the tournaments may be a little too much for me. But as I always say, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

Congrats to Barry Shulman for winning the tournament. Wouldn’t it be something if his son Jeff, who is at the final table of the WSOP, could win. That would be a record that would never be broken and what a great thing for poker. I read where day 4, which was when I went broke, lasted 15 hours and the final table lasted 17 hours. That would have been tough if I could have been lucky enough to have won.

Betting on the NFL is suicidal. I lose every close game besides wasting my time watching. Gone are the days when you could determine the winners. I’ll spend my spare time playing poker at DoylesRoom.

I’ve got to jump on a plane for Todd’s tournament in Montana this weekend. That’s the last thing I need after 3 1/2 weeks in Europe but I’ve got to support my son. Layne Flack and Gavin Smith were supposed to be there to play but both are now doubtful. So, my daughter Pam, Hoyt Corkins, Todd, Ed Brogden, Ken Hale and myself will be the pros playing. We should have a good time even though the weather is below freezing and there are fires and storms going on right now. The waves got so high on the Flathead Lake it wrecked my dock, my jetski and my pontoon boat. The wind blew 50 to 60 miles per hour for a day and a half. That’ s a scary lake when storms hit.

After watching a TV show featuring a handicapped preacher, I feel pretty bad about complaining about pain, injuries, or anything else. This young man was born with no arms or legs; only two small feet attached to his body. What a dynamic speaker! Just listening to him makes all your problems seem insignificant. He has written a book called, “No Limbs, No Limit.” I can’t wait to read it.

-DB

DoylesRoom.com Brings Back Wednesday Bounty

Doubles Prize Money to $50,000

$50,000 in bounty prize money, a $5,000 10-2 challenge and free seats for new players will make the new DoylesRoom.com Bounty Tournament a player favorite

San Jose, Costa Rica – August 17, 2009 – Bounty-hungry, poker-playing gunslingers rejoice. Beginning Wednesday, August 19th, Doyle’s Bounty Tournament returns to DoylesRoom.com with an enhanced $50,000 bonus that goes to the player who can take down Brunson and his friends. The $50,000 bounty prize pool is twice as big as the original $25,000 bounty and will be a weekly fixture at DoylesRoom.com.

For just $27.50, bounty hunters can buy into Doyle’s Bounty Tournament at 9:30pm ET and play for a prize pool that includes up to $50,000 in bounty money. Any player who knocks out one pro will win $1,000 in bounty money. Two pro knockouts will earn the bounty hunter $10,000 and three pro knockouts will earn the successful player $50,000.

On August 19th, the marked men will include Doyle Brunson, Mike Caro, Hoyt Corkins and guest player LDM72.

In addition to up to $50,000 in bounty money, the Wednesday Bounty Tournament features an additional $5,000 10/2 challenge. If a player knocks out Doyle Brunson with 10/2, they’ll win a $5,000 bonus.

To make the Wednesday Bounty Tournament even more accessible, the poker room manager is giving away seats to those who have never played the game before. All first time players will receive a full refund upon conclusion of the tournament whether they win or lose.

The Wednesday Bounty Tournament returns to DoylesRoom at 9:30pm ET on August 19, 2009. For terms and conditions, please click on www.DoylesRoom.com.

About DoylesRoom.com:

Online since 2004, DoylesRoom (www.DoylesRoom.com) is the only online poker site to proudly bear the legendary Doyle Brunson name. The newest addition to the Cake Poker Network, DoylesRoom offers its players access to unequaled poker promotions, fast action, and countless opportunities to play with Doyle Brunson and other legends of the game. Poker players from North America and around the world can compete for the biggest stakes on the web or sharpen their poker skills while playing Texas Hold‘em and other popular games for free. With free poker software, lessons, tournaments, nonstop Sit-and-Go tournaments and ring games available at all limits, DoylesRoom is the preeminent poker destination for real live game play—online or anywhere.

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “The biggest problem you will ever have watches you from the mirror every day.”

The Main Event is still going on at the WSOP. The pros are getting fewer and fewer but that’s what makes a great tournament, anyone can get lucky and win.
I did my very best to at least go deep but just couldn’t hang on. I understand only too well that survival is the key for the first two days in a big field like the WSOP. But as day 1 wound down, I was sitting on a little under $30,000 and flopped a set against a player who had re-raised. To my surprise, my opponent didn’t just bet, he moved in on me. There was no straight or flush possible, so I had to call. Turns out he was drawing at a straight and made it and the board didn’t pair. Out the first day for the 3rd year in a row. How do you play “small ball” poker when that happens?

The good news is that the cash games at the Bellagio are really, really good. In fact, I haven’t seen games like the ones going on for years. There are millions of dollars on the two tables in Bobby’s Room every night. The high action games have even moved out into the main poker rooms because there are so many of them. I saw two 4-8 thousand mixed games, a 3-6k mixed game, a 2-4 mixed and a 2-4k blind pot limit Omaha going at the same time. There are lots of Europeans playing with the local players and huge amounts of money are being won and lost. A French business man seems to be the big winner but it’s hard to be accurate on winners and losers. I know myself that I’m small winner but have played 3 pots with a million dollars in the middle. I won one, lost one, and split a huge pot with Patrik Antonius when we dealt the turn + river 4 times. I had a set against 2 pair bigger than my set and a flush draw. But the biggest disappointment was when Gus Hansen hit runner-runner with all the cash in on the flop. Oh well, the games are good and will be there for another week or so.

If you like Chinese poker, the games have accelerated to 10K a point. That is the biggest Chinese games I’ve seen with half a million or more swings every night. I played a couple of time with not much of a result but I’ve played Chinese poker hundreds of hours, so I’m a very good player. The secret is how you play your bad hands; everyone plays the good hands properly.

I’m amazed at how well I’ve held up this past 6 weeks. I did lots of interviews, played several tournaments, did 4 seminars with Mike Caro, took care of everyday problems at home with Louise being out of the country and played a few cash games before I was knocked out of the WSOP. Then I caught the “flu” or whatever was going around at the tournament but just kept going because the cash games were so good. I even changed my sleeping hours where I could stay up all night. I’ve averaged playing 12-14 hours a day and have completely recovered from the illness. I feel strong and thank God I inherited the stamina from the Brunson genes.

Speaking of the genes, Pam Brunson, my daughter, outlasted Todd and I in the Main Event to win the “Last Brunson Standing” for the 3rd year in a row. I can’t remember the last tournament she didn’t outlast both of us (and Hoyt Corkins). Now Todd and I have to listen to her for another year. Just kidding Pam, nice going, I know you are getting better and better.

I saw the list of nominees for the Poker Hall of Fame. There are some great players, 10 were nominated, but my vote has to go to Mike Sexton or Barry Greenstein. Some of the others are too young and some don’t fit the criteria that are required for being elected. Phil Ivey is one that is a cinch to be inducted, but not this year because of his young age. Of course he is still alive in the Main Event and if he somehow wins, I’ll vote for him now.

-DB

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “Be who you are and say what you feel. Because those that matter…don’t mind and those that mind…don’t matter!”

My daughter called me about a thread on 2+2 about me voting for McCain.  According to some of them, I’m a racist and am going to hell because I did so.  What a sick topic on which to start a thread on a public forum.  First, I’m about as far away from being a racist as you can get.  I’ve had black friends all my life, and I mean really good friends.  That was back before it was “fashionable” to have blacks as friends.  And if I go to hell, it won’t be because I voted McCain.  I guess it was only Democrats that posted and they blasted me for being a Republican.  They said I betrayed poker and I’m supporting the UIGEA.  That’s a joke.  Did anyone hear either candidate take a firm position on internet gambling?  I didn’t and I sent e-mails and phoned both Obama & McCain camps and never got an answer.

Hopefully the Democrats will reverse everything, but I guess these posters think that none of their senators voted for the UIGEA.  They say Obama is a poker player.  Has anyone seen him play?  Has anyone seen him on the inside of a casino?  Supposedly, John McCain shot craps for 30 hours in a Las Vegas casino and I heard he said internet gambling wasn’t a priority of his.  McCain isn’t George W. Bush and that is how everybody judged him.  I knew when I voted that Obama was going to win the election.  I enjoy pulling for the underdog and one reason I backed McCain is I enjoyed the friendly e-mails and banter with my friends.  Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, Eric Seidel and Howard Lederer and I verbally sparred for the past months.

I’m not backing off from supporting McCain but I’m not entirely against Obama, either.  McCain is a genuine American hero and has experience and leadership qualities.  I was concerned about Reverend Wright, Obama’s spiritual leader for 20 years, Obama’s inexperience and his choice of association with controversial people.  Anyone who doesn’t share those concerns are lacking in brain cells.  However, he is our president-elect.  By the way, did any of you 2+2 posters go to any of the fundraisers for the politicians that were pro-gambling?  I did, I went to every one of them and gave as much money that was allowed and supported each and every one of them.  I also support the PPA and do everything I can to help their cause.  So how did I betray poker?

Kudos to Hoyt Corkins, DoylesRoom online poker, Hogs and Heifers and Harley Davidson for their great charity tournament at the new Harley Davidson showroom in Red Rock.  Over 6,000 people showed up and the bikers with their chicks came from everywhere.  The guys in their leather coats and caps, bandanas and Levis made quite an impression on me.  Some of those dudes looked really mean, but all of the ones I talked to seemed like nice guys.  GreasieWheels put the tournament together and did a phenomenal job.  The charity, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation got a nice check.  Be sure and go to it next year.

-DB

DOYLISM OF THE DAY: “The One thing you can give and still keep is…your word.”

Looks like everything is winding down now in the poker world.  The WSOP is over for now and the Bellagio WPT is over.  Most of the cash game players are leaving town and so I am finally going to get to Montana for a much needed rest.  I guess I will drive for two days where I can take my dogs; plus loading the Escalade down with stuff I’m going to need.  I’ve hired a house sitter to take care of things while I am gone.

Congratulations to the WPT winners.  I was pulling for David Benyamine to win but his second place finish along with Ralph Perry’s fourth place upholds ‘The Big Game’s’ honor.  I saw when David lost a couple of tough hands in the heads-up.  I’m sure Mike Watson is a worthy champion even though I haven’t played with him that I can remember.

I see where the WPT has been signed on by Fox Sports Network.  That is probably a good move for them even though I have some personal problems with the Network.  They went back on their word on an issue a few years back.  I didn’t understand it at the time and still don’t.  Their excuse was ‘business is business’.  Most folks don’t put the same value on keeping their word as I do.  I might not play in any more WPT tournaments but that would probably be stupid on my part.  I remember the old saying, “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.”

If you haven’t played online poker at DoylesRoom you haven’t lived.  We have a rabbit cam that flashes what the next card would have been after you or your opponent folds; just another way to torture yourself and second guess what you should have done.  Just go to options and check ‘show rabbit cam cards’ and you will see how much fun it is to see what would have happened.  Just another improvement on what I believe is the best poker software in the poker sites.

I’m pretty sure we are going to have another golf tournament on ESPN in early October.  High Stakes Entertainment secured a golf course near Orlando, Florida for the event.  That is a good choice because the players can bring their families for a nice vacation.  There are many theme parks, including Disney World, nearby.  There has to be at least a Two Million Dollar prize pool so it will be interesting to say the least.

My autobiography has been put on hold for another year.  My publisher didn’t think the book was ready yet.  It wasn’t my decision but I feel badly for my co-author, Mike Cochran, who has put a lot of time and effort into getting the book written.  Mike is an old friend from way back in college but there is really nothing I can do about it.  Actually it will be easier on me to wait because my plate is full for the next few months and I couldn’t promote the book like they want me to.

I’ve been watching the Maverick Marathon I tivoed during the WSOP.   The Starz Network had a 24 hour showing from the Western Channel on DSS.  They had a lot of poker players giving their remembrances of the series starring James Garner and Jack Kelley.  They had more shots of me than anyone else because I was the only one old enough to remember when Maverick first came on in 1957.  Scotty Nguyen, Hoyt Corkins, Mike Caro, Vanessa Russo, and T. J. Cloutier all had spots on the promos.  What I don’t understand is not one person has ever mentioned seeing it on T.V.  So many folks come up and say, “I watch you on T.V. all the time.”  Could it be that I am the only cowboy left?