There had been poker books written before Super/System, but the fact that a genuine poker celebrity wrote a book sharing his secrets as a professional really changed the industry. I was lucky enough to meet him once and I thought the most meaningful thing I could do to pay tribute is by expressing how grateful I am for his contribution to poker book publishing. The original poker book Super/System in the movie Rounders The fact that he witnessed the game he loved boom, to become a family-friendly (kind of) multi-billion dollar televised spectacle must have been remarkable from his perspective. Then you have the fact that he started the game playing in illegal road games where you could just as easily get shot as win money.

There would have been no poker boom without Doyle Brunson. More importantly, Brunson helped to popularise No Limit Hold'em as a tournament format. His influence on the WSOP needs mentioning, with 10 bracelets including two Main Event titles. He played in the biggest cash games in Las Vegas right up until the end. The fact that he was consistently one of the best players for over 50 years. There is so much to potentially write about.

He just seemed immortal in this industry. You knew it was coming one day, yet it was still a tremendous shock. I know this because as a writer, you have always been preparing for this day. The passing of Doyle Brunson is, without doubt, the biggest story of the poker year, in a year where there has been plenty to write about.

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