The initial idea was to create an exhibition table of the best poker players in the world who might pull in punters.īrunson, being one of the most Texan of Texas Gamblers, was present, though the eventual winner of the event was Crandell Addington. The Reunion was held in Reno at the Holiday Hotel and Casino. The 'Godfather of Poker,' Doyle Brunson has Passed Away at 89 Doyle At The First World Series Of Pokerīefore the first WSOP in 1970, there was the Texas Gamblers Reunion in 1969. He won the sixth ever WSOP Main Event (one of two Main Event victories) and collected ten bracelets overall, tying for second most bracelets with Johnny Chan and Phil Ivey.ĭays away from the 2023 WSOP, PokerNews looks back with the poker community at how Brunson stood astride the WSOP like a colossus. The biography of 'Texas Dolly' contains the history of the WSOP within it.īrunson was at the first WSOP ever and attended almost every WSOP since (outside of boycotting four years in the early 2000s). Doyle At The First World Series Of Pokerĭoyle Brunson and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) go way back.