Doyle Brunson - The "Texas Dolly"

Don't deal Doyle Brunson out just yet. The legendary poker pro is still making news, winning games and hoping to claim an 11th World Series of Poker bracelet. Retirement, Brunson says, will come when he quits winning.

Born August 10, 1933, in the midst of the Depression in Longworth, Texas, the man who later would become known as "Texas Dolly" was just another farm boy in a town of 100. Early on, Brunson found a niche in athletics. After winning the Texas State Championship in the mile run and landing a spot on the all-state basketball team, Brunson was fielding offers of athletic scholarships from colleges across the United States. In the end, he chose Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene because it was only 40 miles from his hometown.

There, he studied education and was drafted by the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers. Though a knee injury - which persists to this day - sidelined Brunson's career as a professional athlete, he completed his studies and graduated from university with an MBA in administrative education.

Meanwhile, Brunson helped pay for his education by playing poker games at colleges around Texas. By his account, Brunson learned the game quickly and used his observation skills to cash in. After graduating from university, Brunson took his one and only day job selling office equipment. His first paycheck seemed so paltry compared to his poker winnings, Brunson quit and became a professional player. That meant going underground.

At outlaw games, Brunson had to contend with police, cheaters and robbers; he once saw the player next to him shot and killed, and has looked down the barrel of a gun during an interrupted poker game.

In 1960, Brunson met Louise, the woman he would eventually marry after several years of courting and convincing her it would be fine to marry a professional gambler. Early in their marriage, Doyle was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his throat and the prognosis was grave: Doctors gave him several months to live as the tumor was spreading quickly toward his brain.

Ever the gambler, Brunson chose to try a risky surgery as his last hope. When all was said and done, he was pronounced cancer-free. The news couldn't have come at a better time as Louise was pregnant with their first child and Brunson needed to head back out on the poker trail to start earning money for his family, which quickly grew to include two daughters, Doyla and Pamela, and son Todd, who is also now a professional poker player.

Brunson continued to support his growing brood playing and winning on the poker circuit, where he eventually met his mentor Johnny Moss as well as future partners Amarillo Slim Preston and Sailor Roberts. The men toured Texas, winning big money and earning a reputation for being nearly unbeatable high-stakes poker players. The trio eventually disbanded after losing their six-figure bankroll in Las Vegas, but Brunson hadn't lost his love of poker.

After wearing out his welcome in Texas, Brunson packed up his wife and their four children and moved to Las Vegas where poker was legal. By 1976, he had won his first World Series of Poker title, which he followed up with a second win in 1977. The two championships have forever branded the 10-2 Hold'em hand a "Doyle Brunson" because he took both championship games with a full house - tens full of deuces.

Brunson made his mark again in 1978, by penning the book Super/System, considered a definitive guide to poker. Since then he has also authored Super/System 2; a book of memoirs; and a book about the greatest hands he's ever seen.

In 2005, he earned his tenth World Series of Poker bracelet, a record he shared with Johnny Chan.

Solidifying his place in poker history, he also has a World Poker Tour event in his name. The Doyle Brunson North American Championship is the main event of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at the Bellagio, where Doyle is often seen playing in the biggest cash games around. The championship is the second largest tournament by entry fee on the WPT with its $15,000 buy-in, second only to the $25,000 WPT Championship.

Success at the tables and legendary status haven't kept Brunson from expanding his horizons as well. He owns and endorses an online gaming site, DoylesRoom.com, which made headlines in 2006 when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced it was investigating the operation.

Now well into his golden years, Brunson is as busy as ever and, by his account, still winning more than he loses. From humble beginnings to one of the most influential forces in poker today, Brunson means it when he says, "A man with money is no match against a man on a mission."

Trivia

• Holds 10 gold WSOP bracelets, a record he shares with Johnny Chan
• Won his first two World Series of Poker events with a 10-2 hand
• Drafted as a young man to play for the Minneapolis Lakers, a former NBA team
• Has nearly $5 million in tournament winnings
• Authored Super/System, often called the poker bible

Chris Moneymaker - First Online Champ

Chris Moneymaker changed the face of poker.

Other no-names had won big poker tournaments before. Relative nobodies had even won the World Series of Poker main event. Robert Varkoni won the main event just the year prior.

But Moneymaker's story outshined all the others, and it did because of one reason: Moneymaker won his way into the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event through a $40 buy-in satellite event atPokerstars

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When the online player took down first prize, professional poker would never be the same. People could see that anyone had a chance against the pros. If Chris Moneymaker could do it, then anyone could win the World Series of Poker

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Chris Moneymaker's Beginnings

Chris Moneymaker was born in Tennessee in 1976. His first introduction to cards was via his grandmother, who taught him to play bridge. Chris's father got him interested in blackjack, but this interest was more in the way of a hobby. Like many young gamblers, Moneymaker's interest in poker was stoked in college. At the University of Tennessee, he played with fellow students for small pots. At the same time, Chris worked towards a Masters Degree in Accounting.

Chris worked for years as an accountant, settling into the conventional suburban life of a working father. In 2000, Moneymaker and a few friends watched the movie Rounders.

Chris's interest in the game of poker grew to an passion. Because he couldn't find a legal game nearby, Chris began playing cards online. He searched all over the internet for the best action and eventually began playing at Pokerstars.com.

It could be said that Pokerstars changed Chris Moneymaker's life forever.

Shake Your Moneymaker

Moneymaker was playing the $20 and $40 buy-ins tournaments regularly. He bought in to a $39 tournament in 2003, one which was a pathway to the World Series of Poker. Winning the tournament, Chris got a freeroll into a World Series of Poker satellite event. Vying with 63 other players, Chris won the satellite event. Suddenly, Chris had a freeroll into the $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker Main Event.

Chris entered a field of over 700 players. He had to scrape together the money to visit Vegas, including a loan from his friend, David Gamble, in exchange for a percentage of Chris's winnings. The first day of the tournament, Chris was placed at a table that included Johnny Chan, who appeared in Rounders, and Phil Ivey, considered by many to be the best player in the world at the time.

As the tournament continued, Chris would build the biggest chip stack. He would knock out several of the biggest names in the sport, eventually squaring off with veteran Sam Farha for the championship. Chris would eventually win, taking home $2.5 million dollars.

More importantly, Moneymaker became a household name.

Chris Moneymaker, Instant Superstar

Chris's win came at the perfect time for him and poker. His name was pure Hollywood, perfect to catch the attention of the average poker fan.

The win also coincided with heightened coverage by ESPN, which had purchased the broadcast rights for the World Series of Poker. ESPN seemed to show the World Series of Poker Main Event a thousand times in 2003. The interest in poker was huge. Because of Chris Moneymaker, the interest in online poker exploded. Poker was a phenomenon.

Chris has become an ambassador for poker and a spokesman for online poker. He signed a deal with PokerStars, the very entity which gave Chris his big break. And Chris has become a fixture on the World Poker Tour

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He finished 2nd at the San Jose Bay 101 Shooting Star World Poker Tour event, winning $200,000. Chris finished 10th at a 2004 $5,000 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha event, winning another big chunk. And Chris finished 18th out of 647 entries at the World Poker Tour's Aruba event.

But Chris Moneymaker remains a humble man, claiming he is not interested in becoming a legend of poker, but simply providing for the ones closest to him.

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James Butler Hickok ......that's right, "Wild Bill Hickok"

James Butler Hickok, more commonly known as Wild Bill, was one of the original inductees to the Poker Hall of Fame 1979. What makes this achievement stand out more than some of his compatriots was that Hickok had never heard of, nevermind entered, the World Series of Poker, having been dead for more than 100 years by the time the hall of fame was established.

Born in 1837, Hickok grew up to become a legendary figure in the Old West. He originally moved to the west as a stage coach driver and became a lawman in Kansas and Nebraska, something he earned a high reputation as.

He fought in the Union Army in the Civil War and gained notoriety as a top scout and gunfighter. It is reported that for a short while, Hickok served in the 7th Calvary under General Custer. As a child he learned to shoot as he had to protect his father’s farm from anti-abolitionists. During the latter years of slavery, Hickok was one of the earliest champions for equal rights for blacks.

In 1968, Hickok was named sheriff of Hays City, Kansas. Hickok used violence to try to keep the town’s tough population under control but after shooting two men in late 1869 the citizens felt unsafe and he was replaced by his deputy.

Hickok earned a lot of money in his lifetime through poker and is seen by many as the first professional player; however, it was his interest in poker that led to his death in August 1876.

On the second day of that month, Hickok was playing in Deadwood, in the Dakota Territory. This was a regular haunt for Hickok and he always sat in a corner to ensure no one could sneak up on him from behind. However, on this visit all those seats were taken and he eventually settled for a seat facing one door but with his back to another. It was from that door that Jack McCall shot Hickok in the back of his head.

Legend has it that when he was shot, Hickok was holding two pairs – of aces and eights. This hand is now known as the dead man’s hand. It generally is believed that the cards in Hickok’s possession were all black but this has been queried by a biographer. Hickok’s fifth card, or if he even had a fifth card, is unknown although there are many suggestions as to what it was.

The reasons behind Hickok’s murder are unknown. Some believe McCall had been paid to do the deed, others presume it was McCall’s revenge after Hickok had cleared him out in a game of poker, and then rather cheekily offered to let him keep enough money to pay for his breakfast.

At the resulting trial, McCall told the jury of miners and local businessmen that he was avenging the death of his brother which he claims was at the hands of Hickok. McCall was acquitted of the murder. It was later established that he never had a brother.

However, justice eventually prevailed. After bragging about the deed, McCall was again arrested and put through another trial. This time he was found guilty and hanged.

"Benny Binion" Founding Father of Las Vegas

Lester Ben Binion, commonly referred to as Benny, is the man credited with boosting poker’s profile from a game lacking respect to one with huge worldwide appeal.

Born in Texas just after the turn of the 20th century, Binion did not attend school as a child. Instead, he spent his youth travelling with his father who worked as a horse trader. Between market days, many traders would gather and play cards and this is where he learned to gamble.

In 1921, aged 17, he moved to El Paso and began moonshining. However, after being caught and convicted twice, he gave this up and set up a lottery (which was also illegal) and then began work as a bootlegger. These incidents were not Binion's last involvement with police.

Ten years later he was in trouble again. After suspecting fellow bootlegger Frank Bolding of stealing liquor, Binion confronted him. During their argument, Binion feared Bolding (who had a reputation for stabbing people) was going to draw a knife on him so shot him. Binion was taken to trial and found guilty of murder but was only given a two year suspended sentence, such was the poor reputation of his victim.

In 1936, Binion killed a second man – rival Ben Frieden. This time Binion was found not guilty on the grounds of self defence as Frieden had already wounded him. At the start of the next decade, Binion became the reigning mob boss of Dallas.

Binion was never charged with any other killings but there was one case where he was highly suspected.

Herbert Noble was a highly sought after guy who was nicknamed The Cat because he so frequently escaped or survived attempts on his life – including bombs, guns and car chases. In 1951, someone blew up his car in an attempt to kill Noble but instead it was his wife who fatally bore the brunt of the explosion. Noble, who was a pilot, blamed Binion for the event and seeked revenge. Binion always denied any involvement with the attempts on Noble’s life and he was never officially linked with them; however, in 1951, police caught Noble setting up bombs on an aircraft. In his possession was a map with a mark on Binion’s home. Noble died later that year when someone planted a bomb in his mailbox. There had been 11 known failed attempts on his life prior to this.

With gang wars heating up, he left Dallas for Las Vegas and opened up Binion’s Horseshoe Casino. The casino became popular with punters, and unpopular with rival establishments, because of its high limits – the craps limit at the Horseshoe was $500 whilst it was just $50 at most other casinos. Other casinos soon raised their limits in order to keep up as Binion set about making his the classiest joint in town. He replaced the sawdust floor with a plush carpet and offered free drinks and a limousine service to all gamblers, not just the high rollers.

Although in a different state, his past in Texas came back to haunt him. He spent four years during the 1950s in jail for tax evasion and had to sell his casino to cover his legal costs.

His family regained control in 1964 and Benny Binion was hired as a consultant as he was no longer allowed to hold a gambling licence.

What Binion is most famous for is establishing the World Series of Poker and glamorising the game. In 1949 he set up the famous heads up battle between Johnny Moss and Nick Dandalos which became a five month battle, with Moss eventually coming out on top.

He set up many similar head-to-head games in the following years and in 1970 he invited six of the best known poker players to compete in a tournament and Moss was voted champion. The following year a freeze out format was introduced and anyone who could afford the $10,000 entry fee could play. In 1973, Binion estimated that one day there may be as many as 50 entrants to the tournament, recent entries have been 100 times higher than that figure.

At the age of 85, Binion suffered a heart failure and died on Christmas day in 1989 but his legacy lives on, not least because of the statue of the man in Las Vegas.

Johnny Moss - "Old School"

Johnny Moss is an old time poker legend. Back when players actually voted on the winner of the World Series of Poker, Moss found himself atop the leader board. Winning a World Series of Poker event is one thing, but to be voted as the best by your peers is on an entirely different level. He didn’t need to be lucky in order to earn his place in poker history, instead he let his skills do the talking.

Doyle Brunson often talks fondly of Johnny Moss, and anyone who ever played with him will talk about just how good he was. Moss’ reputation is not nearly as big as it should be in poker, but this is because he passed away before the game really exploded. He did not die a premature death, but he made sure that every minute he had was put to good use, particularly when he was sitting at a poker table. When Doyle Brunson considers you to be one of the best, you know that you have made it.

Johnny Chan

Johnny Chan was born in China in 1962 and later moved with his family to Arizona and finally to Texas, where his family owned restaurants.

Chan entered the gambling world at the young age of 16, when hen went on a junket to Las Vegas. A few years later he dropped out of college in order to move to Vegas and become a professional poker player.

As a pro, Chan was very successful, winning game after game, which he had credited to the fact that at the time, most players did not have experience playing against an Asian poker player and therefore could not "read him".

Chan was a poker star in the late 1980's, winning two consecutive championship events of the World Series of Poker in 1987 and 1988, a feat that has not been repeated since, and probably never will be, due to the ever growing fields. He failed to achieve a third consecutive win (which would have been an amazing achievement) when he was defeated in the 1989 by a very young and unknown poker player by the name of Phil Helmuth.

Chan is the author of Play Poker Like Johnny Chan, an instructional book on several different types of poker games. He also published Million Dollar Hold'em: Winning Big in Limit Cash Games, which focuses on limit Texas Hold'em strategy.

In 2005, Chan won his tenth World Series of Poker title and he is now tied with Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth for the record of 10 World Series of Poker gold bracelets. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2002.

Stu Unger - Rags to Riches to Rags

Stu "The Kid" Ungar was born in New York in 1953 and was only 10 years old when he won a local gin tournament. By 1974, he was considered to be one of the best players in New York. He eventually had to leave New York and travel to Las Vegas due to gambling debts at the local race tracks and because his reputation as a Gin player made it impossible for him to find anyone who would play against him.

In Vegas, Ungar won so many gin tournaments that several casinos requested that he wouldn't play in them because players were not willing to enter the tournament if they knew Ungar was playing. He is famous for saying: "Some day, I suppose it's possible for someone to be a better no limit holdem player than me. I doubt it, but it could happen. But, I swear to you, I don't see how anyone could ever play gin better than me."

He played in the 1980 World Series of Poker and won the main event, defeating poker legend Doyle Brunson, and became the youngest WSOP champion ever (but he would later be surpassed by Phil Hellmuth in 1989). He also won the 1981 WSOP.

After his early success Ungar wasted all of his winnings on drugs, sports betting and horse racing. He went from broke to a millionaire four times.

In 1997, after years of battling drug addiction, Ungar was deeply in debt. He managed to get the $10,000 to enter the WSOP main event from a friend. Ungar clearly had suffered physical damage from addiction, most notably to his nasal membranes. However, he showed that his mental abilities were still intact and won his third WSOP win.

In November 1998, Ungar was found dead in his room at the Oasis Motel in Las Vegas. He is still regarded by many poker pros as the greatest pure talent ever to play the game; in his life, he is estimated to have won over $30 million playing poker. He is the only player to have won 3 WSOP main event tournaments.