Today is October 2, 2023. Abbreviated in the American format, that’s 10-2. If, as a poker fan and player, that reminds of the late, great Doyle Brunson, it should. Today, several poker rooms around the world are commemorating “Doyle Brunson Day” to celebrate the life of the legendary “Godfather of Poker,” who won both the 1976 and 1977 World Series of Poker Main Event holding 10-2 as his final hole cards.
The Lodge Card Club, owned by poker players Andrew Neeme, Brad Owen, and Doug Polk, is running a Doyle Brunson Day promo in conjunction with poker player agency Poker Royalty, giving players who play the old ten-deuce hand a chance to win a bunch of money. Until a minute before midnight tonight, the Round Rock, Texas poker room will enter anyone who hits trips or better with 10-2 as their hole cards and wins the hand into a drawing. On October 3, one qualifying player’s name will be drawn to win $10,200.
There is also a special $102 buy-in tournament with a $2,000 guarantee tonight. Both tournament and cash game players are eligible for the $10,200 promo.
Live! brand poker rooms in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Hanover, Maryland are reducing the high hand qualifier (until 10:00pm, it appears) to tens full of deuces.
The Peppermill Casino in Reno, Nevada, will award players with $100 when they make a flush or full house with 10-2 from 10:02am to 10:02pm.
And overseas at the WPT Prime Madrid poker festival, anyone who wins a pot with 10-2 will gain an entry into a raffle for a $1,100 WPT Prime Championship seat. Also related to the World Poker tour, ClubWPT VIP and Diamond members can play in a $1,000 Cash Giveaway tournament at 8:00pm tonight.
As mentioned, Doyle Brunson won back-to-back WSOP Main Event titles in 1976 and 1977, two of his ten career bracelets tying him for second all-time with Phil Ivey and Johnny Chan, behind first place Phil Hellmuth, who has 17. According to TheHendonMob.com, Brunson earned about $6.2 million in live poker tournaments, but he won untold millions in Las Vegas’s highest stakes cash games.
In addition to all of his poker exploits, Brunson also penned arguably the most influential poker book, Super/System and brought about a number of collaborators to contribute to Super/System 2.
And to think, there is a timeline in which Doyle Brunson never became the most famous poker player of all time. He was a fantastic basketball player at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas and caught the eye of the Minneapolis Lakers, now the Los Angeles Lakers. His potential basketball career ended before it started, though, as his legs were crushed in an accident at the sheetrock plant where he worked. He was eventually able to walk again, albeit with a limp, so basketball was no longer in the cards. I’d say it all worked out, though.