Doyle Brunson Day Brings Negreanu’s Ivey Stories and Wider Tributes
The fourth annual Oct. 2 observance revisited Brunson’s competitive friendship with Phil Ivey and his lasting poker legacy.
The fourth annual Doyle Brunson Day was observed Oct. 2, with poker media and the late champion’s legacy account sharing memories of the player whose famous ten-deuce hand gave the date its meaning. Brunson died in May 2023.
Daniel Negreanu’s recollection, shared on the PokerNews Podcast ahead of the observance, focused on Brunson’s friendship with Phil Ivey. Negreanu called the pair poker’s “Odd Couple,” saying they bickered frequently while maintaining deep respect for one another.
One favorite story concerned a proposed round at Shadow Creek Golf Course. Brunson and Ivey argued over a half-stroke difference in the handicap they would use, and the dispute lasted long enough that they missed the match entirely. Negreanu said their easygoing attitude toward spending in gambling pits disappeared when they competed directly against each other.
Negreanu also described Brunson as “the original solver,” crediting him with systematic poker analysis before the modern GTO era. Brunson would test matchups by dealing them repeatedly, including running ace-king against pocket fives 100 times and recording the results.
The Doyle Brunson Legacy account, which replaced Brunson’s former X account, posted a run of “Doylisms” in the days leading into Oct. 2. One shared line was: “When you are playing poker you have two choices, take it or leave it.” The account also described the date as an occasion to celebrate poker and honor Brunson’s life and legacy.
Other poker-media figures marked the anniversary with personal material. Cardplayer Lifestyle’s Robbie Strazynski revisited three memories of Brunson, including their April 2020 interview, while Tim Duckworth shared a signed copy of Brunson’s Super System. Jesse Fullen posted photographs and memories from interviews and other projects, including a visit to Brunson’s Las Vegas home to record an autobiography voiceover and a trip to Longworth, Texas, to see Brunson’s college basketball trophy.
Brunson’s playing record remains central to those tributes. He won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets and, at 84, reached the final table of a 2018 2-7 lowball event alongside his son Todd. Though he had suggested beforehand that it might be his last tournament, he continued playing for several more years.
