Gambling News

Ten-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson will likely bow out of the star-studded PartyPoker Premier League IV, according to his blog. Brunson cites the fallout from dental surgery as the cause and may be sidelined until May.

On Sunday, the New Orleans Saints face the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Football’s biggest game of the year will play out in Miami and be beamed into households around the globe. In a blog posted on the official website of his online poker room, DoylesRoom, Brunson revealed that he made a $100,000 bet on the outcome of the game. Brunson has the Colts, while a person described only as his “opponent” selected the Saints (although he identifies the other team as the New England Patriots in his blog).

With Las Vegas bookmakers laying down a 4.5 point line, Brunson added that he’d probably make a $50,000 bet on the Saints and the points. The face of DoylesRoom noted, “If Indy wins by 4 or less, I’ll win 150K. Nice position to be in huh?” Kickoff is scheduled for 6:25pm ET from Dolphin Stadium in Miami and the game can be seen on CBS.

On Monday, Brunson will undergo a 5.5 hour dental procedure on his teeth and gums. The procedure does not appear to be planned, as late last month he was announced as a participant in the high-stakes PartyPoker Premier League IV. Brunson revealed that the operation may affect his involvement: “I’m supposed to play in the Premier League tournament that is being filmed at the M Casino here in Vegas. It is the most widely watched TV show in Europe, with a $100,000 buy-in. That would be great exposure for DoylesRoom but there is no way I’ll be 100% recovered from all that dental surgery so I’ll have to cancel.” PartyPoker has made no announcement regarding Brunson’s attendance.

Also on the horizon is the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) annual L.A. Poker Classic from the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. Playing out just before that event at the same casino is the WPT Celebrity Invitational. On the L.A. Poker Classic, Brunson revealed, “That is one of my favorite tournaments because the side action is always good.” Shortly thereafter, “Texas Dolly” is slated to play in the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian tournament and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. However, Brunson lamented, “I’ll have to bow out of all these tournaments because there is no use playing unless you are at your best. The competition has gotten so good you need to feel good physically as well as mentally to have a chance to win.”

Brunson concluded by saying that his “gut feeling” is to relax until the 2010 WSOP begins in May. If this proves to be true, then we may not see Brunson in action again until May 28th, when the $50,000 buy-in Player’s Championship kicks off the open schedule of events at the WSOP. The Eight-Game mix is a new addition to the tournament series’ schedule this year and replaces the $50,000 HORSE event. The Player’s Championship will air as part of ESPN’s coverage of the 2010 WSOP and likely feature one of the toughest fields ever assembled.

Brunson holds 10 WSOP bracelets, good for a tie with Johnny Chan for the second most overall behind UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth’s 11. Brunson won the 1976 and 1977 WSOP Main Events and his first six in the money finishes were all for bracelets. His last piece of hardware came five years ago, when Brunson won a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Short-Handed event for $367,000, defeating Minh Ly heads-up in a final table that also included Scotty Nguyen and Layne Flack.