He's one of the World Series of Poker's most iconic players. A winner of 10 bracelets including two Main Events, Doyle Brunson isn't quite ready to hang up his hat just yet.
Following the release of the WSOP 2021 schedule, the Poker Hall of Famer re-tweeted a photo of him from poker photographer Drew Amato saying he was planning on playing "a few select tournaments" later this year.
Doyle Brunson at the World Series of Poker
It's now eight years since Brunson first announced that he would be retiring from tournament play at the WSOP, although that didn't stop 'Texas Dolly' returning in 2018 to finish sixth in Event #23: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship for $43,963.
Related: Doyle Brunson Returns to the Felt at 2018 WSOP
At the last live WSOP in 2019, Brunson was honoured as part of the First Fifty Honors Gala as one of the Four Most Important Players in WSOP History alongside Phil Hellmuth, Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu.
Brunson has been out of the poker spotlight over the past year, but has remained active on Twitter regailing his followers with tales from his days as a Texas poker rounder. They include:
- Getting robbed at gunpoint while playing poker
- Tweeting that "Corona can't touch me" in March 2020
- Stories about famous gambler Nick the Greek
- He never even picked up two of his WSOP bracelets
- His 'Bitcoin Jinx'
Bracelet Bets Incoming?
It remains to be seen how many events Brunson will actually play, but it wouldn't come as a surprise if Brunson threw out a couple of bracelet bets in the hope of adding to his tally of 10 WSOP bracelets.
In 2013, Brunson took action on himself in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
Then in 2019, Kane Kalas and Brunson had a separate WSOP bet involving 15-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth finishing in the top 1% of the Main Event.
Poker Twitter Reacts
One of the first people to chime in on Brunson's potential return was Joey Ingram. Fresh from his interview with Phil Ivey, Ingram suggested he be Brunson's Tag Team Event partner, even offering to wear a cowboy hat.
Related: The Return of Phil Ivey? 10-time Champion Aims to Play 2021 WSOP
Meanwhile, four-time bracelet winner Max Pescatori called Brunson's potential return "Awesome!"
Two-time bracelet winner Brandon Shack-Harris had only two words: "Fuck yeah!", while 2017 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) final tablist Mathijs Jonkers had three: 'Respect, Respect, Respect'.
How Many Events Will Doyle Play?
So how busy will Brunson be this Fall? While he probably won't be gunning for Player of the Year, it appears that Brunson will be at the Rio much more than in previous years. What does that mean for the number of entries? Let us know how many events you think Doyle will enter with the poll below:
Click here to participate in this poll.
