Brunson adds page to legend

Wednesday, May 6, 1998 | 9:55 a.m.

Win $93,000 one night, get robbed at gunpoint of $84,000 a few nights later and win $78,200 a week after that and your legend as a gambler only becomes larger.

The big story during the second week of the month-long World Series of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe continues to be the saga of Poker Hall of Famer Doyle Brunson.

Brunson, 64, came within an eyelash of becoming the first player in the 29-year history of the granddaddy of all gaming tournaments to win nine titles, placing second in the $2,500 buy-in pot-limit Omaha hold 'em event Saturday night.

Brunson, who is tied with late Poker Hall of Famer Johnny Moss for the most wins all time (eight), collected $78,200 for placing second to veteran gambler T.J. Cloutier, who collected his fourth World Series crown.

The win came one week after Brunson was robbed of $80,000 in high denomination chips and $4,000 cash by two men in ski masks -- one of them brandishing a gun and striking Brunson in the head with it -- at Brunson's Las Vegas Country Club home. He had just arrived there from a World Series event in which he had finished 10th.

The incident, which is being investigated by Metro Police, remains unsolved.

During the first week of the World Series, Brunson, the 1976 and '77 world champion and a Las Vegas resident since 1973, won the $1,500 buy-in limit 7-card razz event and collected $93,000.

Brunson's lifetime World Series earnings now stand at $1,699,959 -- fifth all time.

In 1982, Brunson became the first player in World Series history to win $1 million. In 1995, Cloutier became the first World Series player to win $1 million without having won the premier event -- the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas hold 'em game.

That four-day event, which concludes the 21-event tournament and determines the overall world champion of poker, starts next Monday, with both Brunson and Cloutier expected to be in the field of more than 300 players.

Cloutier, 58, of Dallas, notched his 49th major tournament win Saturday night. It was his 27th time in the money at the World Series. He is second only to 1986 champ Berry Johnston, who has cashed in 34 times. For Brunson, it was his 20th time in the money.

Cloutier moved from 14th to 10th on the World Series all-time money list with $1,255,886.

The victory in pot-limit Omaha was Cloutier's second trip to the cash window during the second week of action. He also placed fifth in the $2,000 buy-in limit Omaha hi-lo split event.

Finishing third in pot-limit Omaha was Erik Seidel, who collected $40,800 to bring his career World Series earnings to $1,110,676 -- 16th all time.

Seidel, who finished second in the 1988 world championship, has 16 in-the-money finishes. The former New York stock broker now lives in Henderson.

In other World Series second-week action, Artie Cobb won the $2,500 buy-in limit 7-card stud title, his fourth World Series title and 18th in-the-money finish. He collected $152,000.

Cobb, who served as World Series tournament coordinator for five years, is noted for competing in large, funny hats which have gotten his photo in newspapers on numerous occasions. For his victory last Friday, he wore his large green foam rubber frog hat.

Cobb dedicated the victory to his father-in-law Mel Malmud, a former World Series of Poker tournament board member, who died April 1.