The life and times of poker legend Doyle Brunson will be celebrated at a special commemorative event this Sunday at the Horseshoe Las Vegas, where the World Series of Poker is currently being held.
The public is invited to attend the event at noon, July 2, at the Jubilee Theater at the recently rebranded Horseshoe on the Vegas Strip, according to Poker Royalty, Brunson’s representation firm.
In a show of unanimity illustrating the respect Brunson commanded, the tribute is being held in cooperation with the major organizational names in poker including the World Series of Poker, The World Poker Tour, and PokerGO as well as Poker Royalty.
This year’s WSOP has been open to Michigan online poker players.
Brunson, known as the Godfather of Poker, died May 14, just a couple of weeks before the 2023 WSOP began. In late March he was at the grand opening of the Horseshoe, formerly Bally’s Las Vegas, along with Jack Binion. Binion is the casino executive whose father, Benny Binion, created the World Series of Poker in 1970.
Brunson Became Star on Poker Circuit
Brunson’s poker career goes back to the days of Texas road gamblers and stretched into the poker boom of the early 2000s as poker became a television staple. Brunson became a star of the game and a fan favorite.
During his tournament career, Brunson won 10 WSOP championship bracelets, tied for second on the all-time list behind Phil Hellmuth, who has 16. Brunson won the famous Main Event in back-to-back years, 1976 and 1977. He also won one World Poker Tour title.
The WSOP has grown over the years to include an online qualifying component as players at Michigan online casinos can now reach for their Main Event ambitions.
Long Career Carried Into Recent Years
Showing that he still had game decades into his career, Brunson went on to win WSOP bracelets in 2003 and 2005. And far from the backroom card games of his Texas days, he became a celebrity mainstay at some of the most prestigious cash games in poker at the glamorous Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Hellmuth is expected to be one of the speakers at the celebration of life along with other poker luminaries such as Binion, Hellmuth, Lyle Berman, Dewey Tomko, Billy Baxter, Eric Drache and Daniel Negreanu.
Along with his playing accomplishments, Brunson helped educate generations of poker players with his landmark instructional books Super/System, Super/System II, and The Godfather of Poker.
As WSOP Michigan and other online poker outlets become more popular, Brunson’s legacy will live on.
