Brunson reigns in early round of poker event

Wednesday, April 29, 1998 | 10:22 a.m.

Doyle Brunson winning a poker tournament generally is not big news in the gambling world.

He has done that a lot for nearly 30 years in card rooms around the globe, including winning back-to-back world championships at the World Series of Poker in 1976 and '77.

Brunson, 64, a member of the Poker Hall of Fame since 1987, is considered one of the best no-limit Texas hold 'em players in the game's history. He rarely enters limit 7-card stud events at major tournaments.

That's what makes his victory in the $1,500 buy-in limit 7-card razz event during the first week of the World Series of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas so special.

In recent years, while such events have been going on, Brunson has passed on them in favor of playing in high stakes side games.

In those so-called "live money" games, he wagers stacks of $5,000 chips on nearly every hand and can win a single pot greater than the $93,000 first prize he took home for capturing the second of 20 open events at the granddaddy of all gaming tournaments.

"I guess Doyle is just in a tournament mood (as opposed to side games)," longtime World Series coordinator Jack McClelland said.

"Besides, Doyle lobbied hard to make these games two-day events, so he probably feels like he should be playing in a few of them."

Prior to last year, gamblers played in marathon events that went well past midnight. Now, all but two of the events at the 29th annual World Series of Poker start at noon, play down to the final table that night, then resume the next day at 4 p.m. and conclude that evening.

"The reason I played this one and will play others at the World Series is that I wanted to pass some players ahead of me on the list," Brunson said, referring to the all-time money winners list.

Brunson, who a decade ago became the first player to record $1 million in World Series career earnings, has been passed by several other gamblers over the years mainly because of his lack of tournament play in favor of side games.

With his lion's share of the purse in the razz event and his finishing 10th earlier this week in the $1,500 buy-in pot-limit Omaha hold 'em game, Brunson moved from seventh to fifth place on the all-time money list with $1,621,759.

With his razz (lo-ball stud) victory, Brunson, a native Texan who moved to Las Vegas in 1973, collected his eighth title, which ties him for the most World Series crowns with late Poker Hall of Fame member Johnny Moss.

Also with his 10th place finish in pot-limit Omaha on Sunday, Brunson has 19 in-the-money finishes. He also holds the distinction of having played in every World Series since its inception in 1970.

Still, Brunson has a long way to go to catch the all-time in-the-money finisher, 1986 world champion Berry Johnston, 63, who placed third in the razz event. It was Johnston's 32nd in-the-money finish. He is fourth on the World Series all-time money list with $1,714,162.

Also during the first week of action, two-time world champion Johnny Chan, increased his all-time World Series earnings to $2,392,094 with a second place finish in pot-limit Omaha. Chan tops the all-time money-list.

The 1987 and '88 world champion recorded his 19th in-the-money finish but failed to win his sixth title. He is the defending $5,000 buy-in no-limit deuce-to-7 draw world champion. That one-day game is slated for May 6.

Brunson, Johnston and Chan are expected to play in the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas hold 'em finale May 11-14. The winner of that event gets $1 million and is recognized as the world's poker champion.