Three and a half years after Doyle Brunson’s passing, Daniel Negreanu shared one of his favorite memories with the Poker Godfather, which took place on a Las Vegas golf course and also involved fellow poker legend Phil Ivey.
Negreanu spoke about his good friend Brunson, who passed away in May 2023, during a recent interview on the PokerNews Podcast. Others who knew Brunson are honoring the poker legend today for “Doyle Brunson Day.”. The date, Oct. 2, is a reference to Brunson’s signature ten-deuce hand.
Doyle Brunson Remembered During WSOP By His Peers
“Deep Respect For Each Other”
According to Negreanu, Brunson and Ivey had a close but contentious relationship. Their constant bickering and differing personalities reminded Negreanu of The Odd Couple, a 1970s sitcom about two mismatched men who are forced to share an apartment.
“They would bicker and it looked like they hated each other, but they had this … deep respect for each other,” Negreanu remembered.
The two gamblers would spend money in the pits like it was nothing, but were deeply competitive when gambling against one another, according to Negreanu. One time at Las Vegas’ esteemed Shadow Creek Golf Course, they spent so many hours arguing over handicap strokes that they ended up missing their golf match.
“They were bickering over (a) half shot, (whether) you get four and oh four and a half,” Negreanu said. “Usually the bickering lasts about five ten minutes. Well, around 3 p.m., you finally realized we weren’t going to be playing today because they would not budge.”
Negreanu also talked about Brunson’s impressive poker knowledge that he had long before the era of GTO poker strategy.
“He was the original solver,” said Negreanu. “He took a pencil and a piece of paper and he would deal out ace-king versus fives a hundred times and see how often ace-king won … So he was doing cutting edge stuff that we take for granted today.”
Other Doyle Brunson Day Tributes
Negreanu isn’t the only one thinking about Brunson three and a half years after his death.
Brunson’s X account, which has been converted into a “Doyle Brunson Legacy” page, posted a series “Doylisms” in the days leading up to Doyle Brunson Day.
“When you are playing poker you have two choices, take it or leave it,” reads one such Brunson quote.
The account also shared a 2023 clip of Poker Royalty’s Brian Balsbaugh, Brunson’s agent, explaining what Doyle Brunson Day is all about.
“On Doyle Brunson Day, I think we celebrate poker. I think we play poker, celebrate the man and just honor his life every year on October 2.”
Poker media veteran Robbie Strazynski, wrote about his three favorite memories with the poker legend, including interviewing Brunson for Cardplayer Lifestyle in April 2020, while fellow poker journalist Tim Duckworth shared a signed copy of Super System he was gifted by the poker legend.
Jesse Fullen, another poker media vet, also paid tribute with several photos from interviewing Brunson and making “several fun content pieces with him.”
That includes traveling to Brunson’s Las Vegas home and helping him record a voiceover for his autobiography, as well as traveling to Longworth, Texas, to see Brunson’s college basketball trophy.
“Never got to play cards with the man but got to speak with him so many times about it,” the former PokerNews social media manager wrote.
For more about Brunson’s legacy, check out this 2023 interview with a dozen poker players who knew him best, as well as this PokerNews video from earlier this year breaking down Brunson’s iconic life.
Connor Richards
Senior Editor U.S.