Todd Brunson

Total Winnings
$227,731

You might think Todd Brunson was born with a stacked deck in his hand, but his famous father says he wasn't. Poker legend Doyle Brunson says he taught his son the basics of poker, but the younger Brunson is primarily self-taught. It was only after Todd decided to become a professional poker player that they began to seriously discuss the game. He was a political science major in college, headed for a career in law when he started to gain an interest in poker. Todd Brunson says poker and law are similar in that they both involve back-and-forth, bluff-and-counter-bluff strategies. By his third year at Texas Tech, Todd had decided to turn his career path toward casinos instead of courtrooms. He says, quite frankly, he chose poker because he didn't want to get a job. Todd Brunson says he's never really read a poker book. He learned to play the game by playing the game, and he says there's no substitute for experience. He says he started at the lowest limits and worked his way up the ladder. When he first started playing poker, Brunson says he played both tournaments and cash games. He quickly decided, however, to only play a few tournaments a year and stick to cash games in order to build his skills and his bankroll. His father, Doyle Brunson, says Todd is a much more disciplined player than he is and he has amazing recall, which serves him well at the tables. Todd Brunson may have a poker legend for a father, but he's made a lot of history himself as well. His list of tournament winnings is astounding, even though he's primarily a cash game player.