Doyle Brunson, a poker legend who won 10 World Series of Poker (WSOP) championships, has died, his family announced on Sunday, per ESPN. He was 89 years old, and the cause of death was not announced.
“It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of our father, Doyle Brunson,” his family said in a statement, which was posted on Twitter by Brian Balsbaugh, Brunson’s agent. “He was a beloved Christian man, husband, father and grandfather. We’ll have more to say over the coming days as we honor his legacy. Please keep Doyle and our family in your prayers. May he rest in peace.”
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Brunson was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1988 at the age of 54. In his career, Brunson had more than $6 million in live tournament earnings. His 10 WSOP bracelets are tied for second all-time with Phil Ivey and Johnny Chan, and he has reached 26 WSOP final tables. He reached the WSOP main event in back-to-back years (1976 and 1977) and made the final table of that event three additional times. Bruson also won a World Poker Tour Championship, placing first in the Legends of Poer event in 2004.
“The World Poker Tour, much like the rest of the poker world is deeply saddened by the passing of poker icon Doyle Brunson,” WPT, CEO Adam Pliska said in a statement. “We are honored to be able to call Doyle a WPT Ambassador, but we are all aware that he was a longtime ambassador for the game as a whole. His legacy is one that will live on for decades as new generations of poker layers come to learn about the legend that was Doyle Brunson.”
Along with the WSOP tournaments, Brunson played in the highest-stakes cash games in the world. He was born in Longworth, Texas and was a standout basketball player at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. Brunson is survived by his wife, Louise, his daughter, Pam, and his son Todd, who is also a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.
