“Seven guys with ski masks and shotguns rushed in. In one passage, Brunson describes a poker game at a farmhouse in Austin that was robbed at gunpoint. Much of what is known about Brunson's road gambling days is documented in his autobiography The Godfather of Poker. Together, the players would frequent the illegal poker games around Texas, sometimes even sharing a bankroll. Doyle was part of a group of Texas Rounders, which included Brian 'Sailor' Roberts and Thomas Preston aka 'Amarillo Slim'. Traveling throughout the Southern circuit was a dangerous career, with games being composed of criminals, outlaws and other dangerous situations.

Texas RounderĪfter growing tired of the mafia-linked poker games on Exchange Avenue and Jacksboro Highway in Forth Worth, Brunson headed to the Midland and Odessa area in West Texas and began a career as a road gambler. Soon thereafter he embarked on a career as a professional poker player.īrunson's talent as a track and basketball star earned him a spot in the Hardin-Simmons Athletics Hall of Fame, though he was left out for years before the Baptist college's president, Eric Bruntmyer, convinced the school to let the poker legend in.īrunson carried his Christian upbringing with him throughout his career and was a deeply religious and family-oriented man. Legend has it, that on his first day in the job he was invited to a card game and won a month's salary in a single night. He first started playing poker in the years following his injury, and eventually took a job as a salesperson. A gifted athlete, Brunson was a star on the track as well as on the basketball court, narrowly missing out on a career in the NBA due to a career-ending knee injury. Brunson was born in Longworth, Texas on August 10, 1933.

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