It’s been about 3.5 years since poker lost its Godfather, Doyle Brunson. I’ve noticed a little resurgence of activity lately on Doyle’s (legacy) Twitter/X account and Instagram, which jarred my memory about “Doyle Brunson Day”, an initiative designed to keep his memory alive on October 2 each year (in honor of his famous namesake poker hand).
Tomorrow is the fourth annual Doyle Brunson Day! 🤠
It’s a day to celebrate poker, play poker, and honor the life and legacy of the Godfather of Poker.
Whether it’s your Friday night home game or a cash game at your local poker room, go play some cards, win some pots, and… pic.twitter.com/O0cL316EUg
— Doyle Brunson Legacy (@TexDolly) October 1, 2026
All of that got me a bit sentimental, thinking about the memories I have of and with Big Papa, three in particular: when I interviewed him, when I wrote my tribute to (what seemed at the time like) the end of his poker playing career, and when I got to meet Doyle in person.
Doyle Brunson’s Final Hand | Image credit: PokerGO
The Doyle Brunson Interview
This happened under some interesting circumstances. Just after the pandemic began, a mutual friend asked Doyle if he’d agree to do a written interview for Cardplayer Lifestyle. When I got the “yes” answer, I set about putting a bunch of questions together that would hopefully craft a unique and special narrative.
As some readers may know, however, Doyle wasn’t a man of many words. Even with a lot of extra time on his hands – he stayed far away from live poker in April 2020 – his answers were pretty brief and to the point.
I wish he would’ve found just a bit more to say, but I remain grateful that he was kind enough to agree to my request and that my poker media outlet had the privilege of publishing a Doyle Brunson interview.
The Doyle Brunson Tribute
Ahead of the 2018 World Series of Poker, rumors were swirling regarding whether Doyle would continue his streak of consecutive WSOPs played. The answer came in the form of this humble Tweet:
Going to the Rio to play in 2-7 lowball tournament. Probably the last one I’ll ever play.
— Doyle Brunson Legacy (@TexDolly) June 11, 2018
This would be no cameo appearance though. The 10-time bracelet winner marched – as though on a crusade – straight to the final table… at 84 years old! Making the occasion that much more special was that his son, fellow Poker Hall of Famer Todd Brunson, also made the final table.
I could sit here and wax poetic once again about Doyle’s curtain call for the ages, but I honestly don’t feel like I could top the effort I made in So Long, Big Papa.
While Doyle would go on to continue playing plenty of poker over the next few years until his passing, at the time this “retirement” really felt like we were saying a collective goodbye to the legend.
Meeting Doyle in Person
I’ve been working in poker media for close to 17 years now, but there’s a part of me that’ll always be a fan of the game and its star personalities. For decades, no star loomed larger over the game than Doyle Brunson. During the last few years of his life, Doyle’s focus was primarily on his family and playing poker. He had done far more than his fair share to help promote the game of poker, so media appearances became far rarer. As such, I never got the chance to meet with him in a media capacity. Rather, I met him purely as a fan.
The one time I got to meet Doyle in person and spend a few minutes with the great man came about through being introduced by my friend, Women in Poker Hall of Famer Jan Fisher.
My memories of that day, almost 10 years ago, have faded somewhat. Thankfully, I can reread my own account of what it was like to meet Doyle Brunson.
Doyle Brunson Day Lives On
With October 2 coming up once more, it’s as good an opportunity as any for us all to take a moment and reflect on Doyle’s poker career and what he did for the game.
If you’ve got the time, I highly recommend that you watch the hour-long Celebration of Life tribute from a couple years back, or perhaps strap in for a self-narrated listen to Doyle’s audiobook on Audible.
