No Bluff Poker

I hope this football season gets through soon.  I only leave my desk and TV to go play poker when there is a game.  I thought I had the football needle out of my arm but it’s so much fun to bet and watch, I can’t help myself.  Anyway, in the NFL I think Pitt and Carolina will be in the Super Bowl.  And if Florida doesn’t beat Oklahoma by more than 3 points, I may be in the bread line.

It looks like golf may be the favorite gambling game among the poker players.  David Benyamine, Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu are all playing and willing to play for big money if they think the games are close.  David and Patrik are amazing the way they have improved.  A year ago, neither one was much of a golfer but both being ex-tennis players, are great athletes.  Also, they have had good instructors and both guys are going to be able to break 80 before this summer is over.

I saw on the news last night that President elect Obama, who is an avid poker player, may introduce a new bill to legalize internet poker after he takes office.  Our country could certainly use the revenue in taxes that would be raised.  Obama faces the greatest challenge a President could imagine with the economy and terrorist threat.  I know Ivey and Negreanu both met Obama and he knew them by name so he for sure has an interest in poker.

There is a 15-year-old young lady named Margaret Hussman, a niece of a longtime friend, who has untreatable cancer and has less than 90 days to live.  My ex-roomate in college, Ray Hibler, called and asked me to write her an encouraging letter recounting my “terminal” battle with cancer 55 years ago.  Margaret is a poker enthusiast and I’m certainly going to call.  She is trying to spend her remaining days doing something new and enjoyable.  Send Margaret an e-mail at anne@ddgoose.com  I know she will appreciate it.  For all of us, there is no promise for tomorrow.  Happy New Year and lets all have a great 2009!

Source: Doyle Brunson Poker Blog

One thing for sure, Anurag Dikshit is appropriately named!  Dikshit was one of the owners of Party Poker and became a multi-billionaire when Party went public.  It looks like he would feel a sense of obligation to online poker, the industry that made him a rich man.  Instead, he folded up like an accordion and plead guilty to breaking some kind of mystery law and is paying a 300 million dollar fine and a possible 2-year jail term.  It certainly created some ill will from the other online poker sites.  I personally can’t imagine what was going through his mind when he made his decision.

The Brunson family had a great Christmas, but as usual, everyone had way too many gifts.  My wife and I gave specific instructions to our children and relatives to not give us any presents.  We threatened to give any gifts that were given to us to the Salvation Army.  At least we slowed down the gifts, but there were stacks of presents for the rest of the family.  I got one present I’m not giving away, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seasons of “Two and a Half Men”.  That show cracks me up.

I’ve already got a “football headache”.  Even Casper won’t stay in the same room with me when the games are going.  I can’t believe how dumb some of the football coaches are.  They need to have a gambler on their staff to advise them.  After all the pro games and bowl games I’ll be lucky if Louise doesn’t throw me out of the house.

Speaking of my dog Casper, he charges the front door every time the bell rings.  He sleeps on my desk and jumps off when he hears someone at the door.  He has dislocated a front leg and a back leg landing on the hard floor.  I’ve got to put some padding on the floor where that won’t happen again.

We had another cash game on High Stakes Poker.  Again, I can’t talk about it but I will say I’ll be going for my 15th straight win on the TV cash games next time I play.  I read somewhere that I play too tight in the games.  Hello!  I thought the object was to win the money, not put on a show to please the viewers.

Daniel:  Did I hear a Mexican golfer got shot yesterday?
Caddy:  Yes sir, They call it a hole in Juan.

Source: Doyle Brunson Poker Blog

Another one of my longtime friends passed a few days ago.  Sammy Baugh, arguably the greatest quarterback in football history, died at age 94.  Baugh was the last surviving member of the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame.  If you are too young to remember “Slinging Sammy”, he played for the Washington Redskins for 15 years.  One season, he led the league in passing, defensive interceptions and punting.  He still owns the NFL single season punting record with a 51.4 yards per kick.

Baugh was the football coach at my University when I was in school.  I saw him in practice one day punt the ball from the 50 yard line out of bounds inside the seven yard line 6 times in a row.  Sammy and I had a lot in common as we grew up 20 miles apart and went to the same high school.  He was a fine man and wanted to be remembered as a great rancher instead of a great football player.

I’ve lived in Las Vegas since 1973 and I have never seen as much snow as we had this week.  Most people were complaining, but I actually liked it because I’ve never been around much snow.  There were lots of “fender benders” because Nevada drivers aren’t used to driving on slick streets.  I saw a terrible accident on Tropicana as a kid on a motorcycle got hit and I’m afraid it was a fatal collision.  I hate motorcycles and would never allow any of my children to ride them.

I played in the first filming of GSN’s High Stakes Poker last night.  I really enjoy playing in these cash games and had a 12 game winning streak going into the game.  We had a good lineup with Eli Elezra, Phil Laak, Tom “Durr” Dwan, Mike Baxter, Alan Meltzer, Dario Minieri and David Peat.  We can’t give any details but I will tell you, I play again tomorrow night and I’ll be going for win #14 in my cash games.

Congratulations to Chino Rheem for winning the Doyle Brunson Classic Championship at the Bellagio.  It comes on top of a final table finish at the WSOP for Chino.

Caddy:  Sir, you aren’t addressing the ball properly.
Daniel:  I’ve been polite to the damn thing long enough.

Source: Doyle Brunson Poker Blog

Even though the tournaments at the Bellagio are by far the best, it still seems to me that the rewards are greater in the cash games.  I played 25 hours, 3 days, beat 432 players and won less than $10,000.  I realize that coming in #66 gave me a great shot at winning the 1.5 million first prize, but there are just so many good tournament players now it is hard to win consistently.  Maybe it’s time for me to back off from tournaments because I was actually tired at the end of the 3rd day.  I’m playing tomorrow in the $200,000 buy-in cash game on High Stakes Poker and I’m looking forward to that.  I’ve won in each one of the previous 12 I’ve played in.  At least it will be real poker for real money.

Layne Flack came up to me and insisted he had been misquoted in the CardPlayer article about buying a bracelet.  He said they were printing a retraction of his statement.  I have no reason to not believe Layne.  We have always been friends and I probably reacted too quickly.  I should have learned by now not to pay any attention to what people say.  Anyway, I’m putting it behind me and I’m sure Layne will do also.

I don’t know if anyone else notices, but Andy Bloch seems to go deep in every tournament.  It’s pretty impressive when you consider he doesn’t really have a poker background like most of the great players have.  I hope he wins a few where he will be recognized a little more for his excellent play.

It’s time to go out for the dreaded Christmas shopping for my family.  I love Christmas because the family gets together, but we have taken the gift giving to the extreme with the stacks of presents under our tree.  We need to remember what Christmas is all about and I wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Daniel:  Do you see any improvement today?
Caddie:  Yes sir, you had your hair done.�

Source: Doyle Brunson Poker Blog

As a rule, I don’t say anything about things people say in interviews. ??But I can’t help being deeply offended by the article in CardPlayer where Layne Flack says, “You want to talk about buying a bracelet? ??Let’s talk about Doyle’s bracelet when there were 8 people in the tournament. ??The critics should look back in history and see where a bracelet has been bought.”??

I??thought this man was a friend of mine. ??Back in the early days of the WSOP, I certainly didn’t even consider that a bracelet would have any value. ??I only played in 2 or 3 events a year because Jack Binion expected me to. ??I actually didn’t pick up two bracelets in the 70’s-80’s because I already had a couple. ??I never won a tournament that had 8 people in it. ??There were only 14 entries in a mixed double tournament that Starla Brodie and I won. ??If I could find that bracelet, I would sent it to Layne and tell him to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.

The “bracelet race” has become Harrahs and ESPN’s way of making poker interesting and exciting. ??It is a form of competition and I love anything that is competitive, but winning bracelets has never been high on my priority list. ??I still play poker because it energizes me and keeps me thinking young. ??I like playing real poker for real money and tournament poker for me is a second choice.

It’s Jimmy V week on ESPN. ??We need to listen to Jimmy Valvano’s speech as it would put us back to what is important in life. ??Jim was dying with cancer and gave an awesome speech when he was presented the Arthur Ashe award. ??The Jimmy V foundation raises money for cancer research and we should all support it because 1 out of every 4 persons will have to deal with having cancer in their lifetime.

The Real Deal at the Venetian is moving along well. ??This is the slowest time of the year in Vegas and we had a big turnout last night. ??Everyone seems to love the show and it’s a lot of fun to do.

Caddie: ??Sir, do you know what golf and sex have in common?
Daniel: ??Of course, there’s two things you can enjoy even if you are bad at both of them.

Source: Doyle Brunson Poker Blog

Even though the tournaments at the Bellagio are by far the best, it still seems to me that the rewards are greater in the cash games. ??I played 25 hours, 3 days, beat 432 players and won less than $10,000. ??I realize that coming in #66 gave me a great shot at winning the 1.5 million first prize, but there are just so many good tournament players now it is hard to win consistently. ??Maybe it’s time for me to back off from tournaments because I was actually tired at the end of the 3rd day. ??I’m playing tomorrow in the $200,000 buy-in cash game on High Stakes Poker and I’m looking forward to that. ??I’ve won in each one of the previous 12 I’ve played in. ??At least it will be real poker for real money.

Layne Flack came up to me and insisted he had been misquoted in the CardPlayer article about buying a bracelet. ??He said they were printing a retraction of his statement. ??I have no reason to not believe Layne. ??We have always been friends and I probably reacted too quickly. ??I should have learned by now not to pay any attention to what people say. ??Anyway, I’m putting it behind me and I’m sure Layne will do also.

I don’t know if anyone else notices, but Andy Bloch seems to go deep in every tournament. ??It’s pretty impressive when you consider he doesn’t really have a poker background like most of the great players have. ??I hope he wins a few where he will be recognized a little more for his excellent play.

It’s time to go out for the dreaded Christmas shopping for my family. ??I love Christmas because the family gets together, but we have taken the gift giving to the extreme with the stacks of presents under our tree. ??We need to remember what Christmas is all about and I wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Daniel: ??Do you see any improvement today?
Caddie: ??Yes sir, you had your hair done.?

Source: Doyle Brunson Poker Blog

Congratulations to my pal Daniel Negreanu for winning the B.C. Poker Championship.?? Maybe he can’t play golf so well but he is really performing well in the poker tournaments.?? I used to laugh at Daniel’s and Phil Hellmuth’s “small ball” approach, but I’m a bottom line guy and it looks like they are the two best tournament players right now.?? ??My background is cash games and I don’t think the “small ball” play would do very well.?? It’s too late for me to change my style so I’m still going to try to bust my opponents at the poker table.

I must be behind the times because I lost two friends in the past few months and didn’t know it.?? Orville Moody, a former U.S. Open golf champ, passed away at the age of 74.?? Last time I saw him, he was telling me about all the course records he has in Texas.?? My other friend was Don Haskins, the basketball coach at UTEP.?? Don is in the basketball Hall of Fame and was the first coach to start 5 black players.?? He did that in the championship game against Kentucky in the 60’s.?? I played many a round of golf with Don when I lived in El Paso.?? My condolences to his family.

Speaking of El Paso, it reminded me of one day when one of my golfing friends offered to bet me $20,000 I couldn’t make 50% of my free throws on a basketball court.?? I laughed to myself because I thought I could with either hand or even underhanded.?? As I hadn’t touched a basketball in 30 years, I decided to go shoot and be sure.?? I also had injured both shoulders trying to water ski.?? When I got to the gym by myself, I was totally shocked.?? The basketball felt like??it was a??watermelon and I could barely get the ball to the rim.?? Good thing I went to practice because I could never have made half of them.?? It made me think of the old saying, “buzz, buzz, what you usta wuz.”

I’m off to Costa Rica to make some plans for DoylesRoom.?? I’ll be back for the Bellagio tournament.?? I hope some of the “small ball” boys work up enough courage to come play in Bobby’s Room!

Caddie:?? Sir, why do you play so much golf?

Daniel:?? It’s the most fun I’ve ever had with my clothes on.

Source: Doyle Brunson Poker Blog

Finally back from Costa Rica where it rained every day I was there. ??I don’t really mind the rain because we never see much of it here in Nevada. ??I had a great time because of the great friends I’ve got down there. ??The DoylesRoom brain trusts made a lot of decisions I believe are going to be very favorable for everyone concerned. ??As always, the food was very good and I’ve got to start a diet.

Coming home, I had to ride by a guy who must have been partying in CR for a week. ??He has the worst body odor I’ve smelled in ages. ??On top of that, he took his shoes off and just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, he drank ten beers before we got to Houston and started passing gas. ??For the last hour of the sold-out flight, I rode in the stewardess’ seat. ?? I can hear the chuckles as you guys read this.

The Five Diamond World Poker Championship is under way at the Bellagio and the main event starts this weekend. ??Seeing as how they call it the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, it is very important to me that I play and do well. ??I love the slow structure and short hours the Bellagio offers in these tournaments. ??I’m going to play the first starting day.

I’ve got what they call a private banker who services by account. ??It’s really a cool thing because they come by and pick up your deposits, etc. ??Unfortunately, the lady came by unannounced and after our housekeeper inadvertently let her in, Casper had victim number 43 as he bit her on the ankle. ??Be sure and give me notice if you come to see me and I’ll lock Casper in my office.

I did an interview for Phil Hellmuth’s project about the beginning of poker and how it has progressed. ??I think they are calling it, “The Quest For Number 12.” ??It went well and they asked better questions than most. ??I wish them the best of luck.

Caddie: ??Sir, why do you play so much golf?
Daniel: ??I made a vow to play each day that ends in a y.

- DB

Source: Doyle Brunson Poker Blog

With no high limit games in town it seems all my time and energy is going into the Real Deal at the Venetian.?? Our show is getting better and better.?? Five o???clock is a little early for a show on the Las Vegas Strip and the producers are trying to get a later starting time.?? The audience is bigger each week and they seem to enjoy the show.

After researching when my father died in 1957, I am the same age today as he was when he passed.?? It certainly doesn???t seem like it was fifty years ago and it makes me consider my own mortality.?? The reality is that we should appreciate and enjoy every day we live.?? I think I take after my mom???s side of the family.??They (all 10 of them) lived into their 90s with three of them breaking the 100 year mark.?? At least that???s where the family tells me I got this bald head.?? Perhaps the people who say I am getting old and senile are right.?? I can???t believe I responded to what people posted on a public forum.?? I should have learned my lesson a few years ago on Rec Gambling when some nut accused me of cheating and running all the high limit games in Las Vegas.?? According to him, no one could play unless they had my or Chip Reese???s permission.?? He said all the games were fixed.?? I tried to defend myself but lots of the folks that posted there seemed to believe it.?? You can???t win in a situation like that so I won???t make that mistake again!

After Dewey Tomko and Harry Ornstein were inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame it made me wonder which of the young guys will wind up in there.?? There are some obvious choices right now but time has a funny way of changing things.?? At best we have a pretty good idea who the first African American will be.?? I think Dewey was a worthy choice because in the 80???s and early 90???s he was a force to be reckoned with in both the cash games and poker tournaments.?? Henry, if for no other reason, deserved it for the invention of the hole card cameras.?? He wrote a great book, I Want To Live, about his survival of a Nazi Concentration Camp.

CADDY:?? Sir, why do you carry two pair of pants when you play golf?

DANIEL:?? In case I have a hole in one.

-DB

Source: Doyle Brunson Poker Blog

As a rule, I don’t say anything about things people say in interviews.  But I can’t help being deeply offended by the article in CardPlayer where Layne Flack says, “You want to talk about buying a bracelet?  Let’s talk about Doyle’s bracelet when there were 8 people in the tournament.  The critics should look back in history and see where a bracelet has been bought.” 

I thought this man was a friend of mine.  Back in the early days of the WSOP, I certainly didn’t even consider that a bracelet would have any value.  I only played in 2 or 3 events a year because Jack Binion expected me to.  I actually didn’t pick up two bracelets in the 70’s-80’s because I already had a couple.  I never won a tournament that had 8 people in it.  There were only 14 entries in a mixed double tournament that Starla Brodie and I won.  If I could find that bracelet, I would sent it to Layne and tell him to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.

The “bracelet race” has become Harrahs and ESPN’s way of making poker interesting and exciting.  It is a form of competition and I love anything that is competitive, but winning bracelets has never been high on my priority list.  I still play poker because it energizes me and keeps me thinking young.  I like playing real poker for real money and tournament poker for me is a second choice.

It’s Jimmy V week on ESPN.  We need to listen to Jimmy Valvano’s speech as it would put us back to what is important in life.  Jim was dying with cancer and gave an awesome speech when he was presented the Arthur Ashe award.  The Jimmy V foundation raises money for cancer research and we should all support it because 1 out of every 4 persons will have to deal with having cancer in their lifetime.

The Real Deal at the Venetian is moving along well.  This is the slowest time of the year in Vegas and we had a big turnout last night.  Everyone seems to love the show and it’s a lot of fun to do.

Caddie:  Sir, do you know what golf and sex have in common?
Daniel:  Of course, there’s two things you can enjoy even if you are bad at both of them.

Source: Doyle Brunson Poker Blog