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Doyle Brunson – Poker Player Story

Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson is known as the ‘Godfather of Poker’ and this living legend may very well be the biggest icon of the poker world. Through an entire lifetime of playing professional poker, Brunson has seen it all and his life is the stuff of Hollywood movies. This is the story of Doyle Brunson.

We’ve also made this blog post as a video, if you’d rather watch than read.

Early Life

Doyle F. Brunson was born on August 10, 1933 in Longworth, Fisher County of Texas – a dirt poor, rural town smack in the middle of The Lone Star State. The town had a population of less than 100, and almost all were farmers. His family lived on a cotton farm with no electricity or plumbing. Brunson was the youngest of 3 children and had a textbook Texas childhood, although often feeling like a bit of an outsider.

He was an active kid, and shaped into a natural athlete who received a spot on the All-State basketball team and also dominated in the statewide track community. This is especially impressive considering that Brunson never actually had a track coach or knew anything about running track. According to a 2018 podcast interview he did with ‘Poker Stories’, after baseball practice, Brunson would just go to the track, start running and never let anyone get past him. These performances led to him being offered college scholarships for both basketball and track.

Doyle Brunson was well on his way to realizing his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA. The then-Minneapolis Lakers wanted to sign him, but his basketball career would end before it really began. One faithful day, while working at a local gypsum factory, Brunson was in an accident that shattered his leg. His leg never fully healed, putting an abrupt end to his athletic dreams. To this day, he’s easily spotted around the poker table by the crutch standing nearby.

But, as Doyle Brunson would prove again and again, no matter what you’re dealt in life, anything can be turned into a winning hand.

Picking up poker

Doyle Brunson had always been an observer of people. Perhaps because he grew up feeling like an outsider looking in. Barely able to move around after shattering his leg, he would often just sit and watch people – which would only advance his skills of reading faces. Something that would become his ace in the hole later in life.

Doyle Brunson got his bachelor’s degree in 1954 and a master’s degree split between administrative education and business administration the next year, with a new plan of perhaps becoming a school principal.
But he found the pay scale to be too low, so straight out of college he went and got a job as a business machine salesman. Not a dream job to Brunson, but a place to start and a way to make a living. He wouldn’t stick around long though.

The young Brunson had always enjoyed poker, but played a lot more after his injury. So when his co-workers invited him to play with them after his first day, he went along. They played a game of seven-card stud, and Brunson absolutely cleaned up, winning more than a month’s salary that night.
Always eager to chase a goal, Brunson soon quit the job and started playing poker professionally.

Calling Death’s bluff

In 1959 Brunson met his future wife, Louise. The two got married in August of 1962 and soon thereafter Louise became pregnant with a baby girl. Things were looking great, but then life took a turn for the worse when doctors found a tumor in Doyle’s neck.
When they tried to operate it, doctors found that the cancer had spread and Brunson was given just three months to live.

Doctors felt that a second operation might prolong his life enough for him to witness the birth of his daughter and so they went ahead. After the operation, doctors were stunned to see that the tumor had completely vanished. They found absolutely no trace of the cancer and so Doyle was healthy for the birth of his daughter and back on the road soon after. Like the true gambler he is.
This wouldn’t be the last time death came looking for Doyle, but he would always call the bluff and see death fold his cards.

Adventures with the Texas Rounders

After the birth of his daughter, Doyle Brunson went to Fort Worth, Texas, where he and his friend Dwayne Hamilton would play in illegal games. But even Fort Worth soon proved too small for their appetite, and so they took to the road. They met fellow poker players Amarillo Slim and Sailor Roberts and formed what became known as the legendary ‘Texas Rounders’. A team of truely elite poker players who completely cleaned Texas dry playing high-stakes poker in the 1950’s and 60’s. Probably poker’s closest thing to a team like ‘The Avengers’.

These illegal games were often run by criminals and so things could get heated. Brunson remembers literally staring down the barrel of a gun more than a few times – and he has seen 2 players get shot in the head at the table.

Dwayne Hamilton headed back to Fort Worth while the rest of the gang expanded to Oklahoma and Louisiana, playing bigger and bigger games. They would pool their funds for gambling, participating in the biggest games around.

After six years of dominating the southern poker rooms like this, and outrunning the law and the hijackers who preyed on winners of illegal big-money card games, the Texas Rounders had amassed a massive pool of funds.
And now they arrived in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas

The Texas Rounders arrived in Sin City as legends, but were about to get a harsh reality check.
In fact, they quickly lost everything they had – a six-figure amount. Which was a hell of a lot back in those days.
Vegas had chewed them up and spat them back out. They decided to stop playing as partners, but remained friends, always watching each other’s back.

Doyle however, did just fine on his own and was quickly becoming one of the major attractions in Vegas, as audiences would literally gather to see him play.

Brunson would settle down in Las Vegas, and has been a solid component at the World Series of Poker since it first started back in 1970. He would mostly play at the Bellagio, which to this day remains his favorite spot.

Why is Doyle Brunson called “the Texas Dolly”?

The poker scene is full of nicknames – and players love to name fellow players – probably because it is easier to remember than real names and because it adds an element of fun.
And, honestly, why call a guy Tomas Austin Preston, when “Amarillo Slim” sounds so much cooler?
There are some legendary nicknames out there, but the most famous nickname in poker of course belongs to the game’s biggest icon. But exactly why is Doyle Brunson called “the Texas Dolly”? It’s actually a funny story.

Back in 1973, Doyle Brunson had a well-established relationship with a guy called Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. Jimmy would later become famous for his part in CBSs “The NFL Today” throughout the 1980s, but in 1973 he was still just a gambling columnist for the Las Vegas Sun. Jimmy was covering the WSOP and therefore frequently mentioned Doyle Brunson’s accomplishments. But at the time, gambling was still frowned upon in Texas, and for that reason Brunson asked Snyder to use an alias – and so he would call him “Texas Doyle”.

A member of the Associated Press picked up on an exchange between Brunson and Snyder, but misunderstood the nickname to be “Texas Dolly”, which then made the report and has since then gone down in history as a legendary poker nickname.

Doyle Brunson’s Poker Winnings

Doyle “Texas Dolly” Bruson is often referred to as the ‘Godfather of Poker’. And this title makes sense, as he’s been around since the very beginning and very much made the game what it is today. After an entire lifetime of playing professional poker, it’s really not possible to summarize his winnings in one blogpost. But let’s have a look at some of his major wins.

Brunson is believed to have won more than $6,100,000 playing at live tournaments. More than $3,000,000 of those comes from his impressive 37 cashes at the WSOP. He even won the WSOP main event 2 years in a row, and has won a total of 10 bracelets, which puts him in the top 3 of all players ever playing in the tournament.
His 10 WSOP bracelets are:

1976: $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw

1976: $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship

1977: $5,000 Seven-Card Stud

1977: $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship

1978: $5,000 Seven-Card Stud

1979: $600 Mixed Doubles No Limit Hold’em

1991: $2,500 No Limit Hold’em

1998: $1,500 Seven-Card Razz

2003: $2,000 H.O.R.S.E

2005: $5,000 No Limit Shorthanded Texas Hold’em

Super System – The Poker Bible

Doyle Brunson has given poker so much, but perhaps his biggest contribution came back in 1978 when he changed the game forever by writing and publishing the book ‘Super System – How I made over $1,000,000 playing poker”.

This was right after his back to back WSOP win and the book was the first comprehensive book on strategies for various poker games. The book became a huge success and is largely considered the “Bible of Poker”.
Even today it sells about 14,000 copies a month.
In October of 2004, a second version was published called “Super System 2 – A Course in Power Poker”. This version featured updated lingo, new games & strategies as well as insights from, not only Doyle Brunson, but also other players like Daniel Negreanu.

Doyle Brunson also has an autobiography called “The Godfather of Poker”. Surely a life like the one Brunson has lived needed to be told in a book and one could easily imagine this becoming a movie at some point as well.

Doyle Brunson’s Recent years

Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson really is a living legend and perhaps the biggest icon of poker. At the age of 87 he’s still going strong, although he has scaled back on the amount of games he plays. Doyle and his wife Louise still live in Las Vegas and if you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of this living legend in “Bobby’s Room” at the Bellagio. Although we wouldn’t recommend playing him.

Doyle Brunson has no less than two hands in poker named after him.
One is the hand of a ten and a two, which was named after him because that’s the exact hand he had when winning both of his WSOP No Limit Hold’em Main Events in ‘76 and ‘77. In both cases giving him a full house.
The other one is when holding an ace and queen of any suit. This is because on page 519 of his book, Brunson famously wrote that he never plays this hand.

Brunson’s son, Todd Brunson, is also a professional poker player.
Doyle didn’t teach Todd to play, in fact Todd never knew how to play before going to Texas Tech University and learning on his own – perhaps from reading the Super System?
Todd left Texas Tech before his senior year and turned professional poker player.
In 2005, Todd won a WSOP bracelet in Omaha Hi-Lo, making Doyle and Todd the first father-son combination to win WSOP bracelets.

The next Doyle Brunson?

Back in the day, Doyle Texas Dolly Brunson and the Texas Rounders had to pretty much risk their lives when playing poker in smoky back rooms against criminals and big time drug dealers.

Luckily though, things have changed today and if you and your friends want to play poker all you have to do is just download the free EasyPoker app. It’s by far the easiest way to play poker with friends, whether live or online. No chips or playing cards needed.

It’s a digital version of a physical poker set. Create a private poker table with a single tap, and invite your friends to play by sharing the 4 digit game code. Poker with friends have never been easier.

Want more poker player stories?

Here at Easypoker we really like talking to our users – and we really value your opinion.
If you have anything to add to this post, feel free to comment below.

We also have a ton of other amazing poker stories, like the crazy story of Daniel Negeranu.
A highschool dropout that became what many believe to be the most successful and beloved poker players of all time.

Or perhaps the story of Mike Saxton,
“The Ambassador of Poker”. A professional poker player who became a commentator and was even inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

If you have any specific story or topic you would like us to profile, please let us know in the comments or by reaching out to us.

Maria Ho – Poker Player Story

Maria Ho’s poker story is one of how the black sheep of a traditional chinese family went against her parents and took a gamble on her passion. It’s the story of how a young role model won the heart of the poker industry and became a female ambassador of the game. This is the amazing poker story of Maria Ho.

Early life

Maria Ho was born on the 6th of March, 1983. She lived with her mom, dad and older sister in the city of Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. These were hard times in Taiwan, and her parents were struggling, just as their parents had struggled.
Wanting a better life for their two daughters, Ho’s mom and dad moved to America when she was just four years old. They bounced around for a while before settling down just outside of Los Angeles in Arcadia, California.

Ho’s parents wanted their two daughters to remember where they came from and so the family only spoke Mandarin at home and the girls had to learn traditional chinese instruments, dances and more. In general, Maria’s childhood home was very traditional chinese with structure and order – something that was starting to irritate the young, rebellious ‘black sheep’ of the family.

In middle school, Maria Ho began hanging with the wrong crowd and getting into trouble for no real reason. Her parents often had to come get her at the principal’s office – and even at the police station one time. When Ho topped it all by running away from home for a month, her parents decided to send her to an all girls catholic high school.
Surrounded by nothing but nuns, Ho was finally able to focus on her school and homework – and in a later interview she said that without this she probably wouldn’t have graduated highschool.

Poker beginnings

With her life back on the right track, Maria Ho went to college. She attended the University of California San Diego where she studied psychology, wanting to go on to medical school.
One day she heard some of her male friends talking about hosting a poker night and sort of invited herself. She showed up that night, bringing beer, and was of course allowed in.
This being her first ever game of poker, she had little clue what she was doing. But she still managed to win the game and walked away with all the money – and a feeling of having found a new love. She was hooked.

Maria kept playing with friends on campus, and on days when classes ended early, she would go down to the nearby indian casino and sharpen her skills. She played for just the fun of it but as the prize money started piling up, she had the feeling that this could be more than just a lucrative pastime.

She didn’t dare tell her parents though, since traditional chinese culture expects you to take the secure path and utilize the opportunities your family has put out for you – not take a gamble. After finally getting her life back on track in the eyes of her family, she was afraid they wouldn’t approve her new plans.
She wanted to finish college and planned to maybe take a gap year between undergrad and grad school where she could travel the world playing poker and having fun.
First stop after graduating would be the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas.

Grinding

Maria Ho’s first appearance at the WSOP was not a huge success. Beating her college friends was one thing, but it seemed WSOP was still too big a mouthful for her.
So she went back to Los Angeles to sharpen her skills.

Her parents still wanted her to finish her degree and when they asked her what she was going to do for money she finally came clean and told them how she’d been making good money playing poker. This allowed Ho to focus on playing poker and as her skills improved she became more and more convinced that this was the path for her.

After a year and a half of playing poker professionally, Maria went back to WSOP in 2007.

The WSOP breakthrough

This time Maria did very well, outlasting more than 6000 players. Though she didn’t quite reach the final table, she was the last woman standing and ended up caching over a quarter million dollars! And the respect and attention of the poker world. Suddenly everyone was talking about the new female phenomenon of poker – and Ho thought it was time to tell her parents that she wanted to pursue a career in poker.

Her parents, however, thought it would be better for her to put the prize money into a savings account and continue her degree, quitting poker while being ahead. Luckily though, more people than her parents weighed in on her decision, with multiple poker sponsorships coming at her.

Maria Ho & Tiffany Michelle

Maria Ho kept playing and learning, and in the summer of 2011 she won her second ‘Last Woman Standing’ at the WSOP main event. She was quickly solidifying her place among the top female poker players of the world. On this prominent list we also find another rising star, Tiffany Michelle, who won ‘Last Woman Standing’ the year after.
The two really hit it off and became best friends – and the absolute female power couple on the poker scene.

Although participating in many of the same tournaments, and both competing for the role of ‘Last Female Standing’, the two formed a strong friendship and would lean on each other through everything.
Quite a dynamic duo.

In an industry heavily occupied by men, this was exactly what Ho had been wishing for.

The duo also teamed up to participate in CBS’ show called “The Amazing Race” where teams of two reace around the world in 30 days with a first prize of one million dollars.
Ho and Michelle didn’t win the race, but the appearance alone helped further their brand in a big way, and Maria later said that this was the best experience she’d ever had.
She would later appear in other popular TV shows such as American Idol and Deal or No Deal.

The Amazing Race proved to Maria Ho that she could do anything she wanted and was able to feel comfortable well outside her comfort zone. At this time, Ho had been the last woman standing at 3 WSOPs and was now the top female ambassador to the game she once had to hide from her parents. Because of this, she was asked to be a female strategic analyst on the Heartland Poker Tour – an American TV show that first aired back in 2005.
She stayed on HPT for two seasons and really enjoyed the possibility of branching out.
Something she also had a change to do when asked to be the manager of ‘LA Sunset’ – a Los Angeles based team competing in the ‘Global Poker League’. According to interviews, Ho liked the idea of poker being more of a team sport and wanted to create a team that was as much of a melting pot as the city of LA.

Female Poker Ambassador

Maria Ho is obviously a terrific poker player and a very intelligent person, but people who know her also say she’s truly a great person. Her friendly and very charismatic person has gotten a huge following and is probably what led to her branching out into media.
We’re all glad she chose to pursue a career in poker, but it seems Maria Ho would have been extremely successful in any job and industry. With her hard work and kind soul she’s truly a great ambassador for poker, and a role model for young players – both male and female.

According to online sources, Maria Ho has won over $4,000,0000 playing poker in live tournaments.

Are you the next Maria Ho?

Maria Ho went against the wishes of her parents and took a gamble on herself – a gamble that took her from black sheep to multi millionaire poker icon and role model. And it all began when she invited herself to a friendly poker night in a college dorm room.

Maybe you and your friends should test your skills as well, and for this we recommend using the free EasyPoker app. By far the easiest way to play poker with friends – no chips or playing cards needed.

Create a private poker table with a single tap on your screen and share its 4 digit game code with your friends to have them join the table for hours of fun.
Whether live or online, EasyPoker is perfect for poker with friends.

Want more poker player stories?

At EasyPoker we love interacting with our users and we really appreciate you.
If you have anything to add to this story, please let us know in the comments below.

We are constantly adding more poker player stories, like the one of poker legend Daniel Negreanu.
A crazy story of how ‘Kid Poker’ went from highschool dropout to being one of the most beloved and successful poker players of all time.
And that’s just one of our many poker player stories.

If you have a specific poker player you would like us to profile, please let us know in the comments.

Mike Sexton Poker Player Story

This year the poker community lost one of the big voices of poker. The professional poker player and commentator Mike Saxton died at the age of 72. His impressive career has earned him multiple wins, induction into the Poker Hall of Fame and is famously known as The ambassador of poker. This is the story of Mike Sexton.

Who is Mike Sexton?

Sexton was an american professional poker player and commentator. He was an entity in the poker community. Mike commentated The World Poker Tour with actor and former professional tennis player, Vince Van Patten. He got his first and only bracelet in 1998 in the $1.500 Seven card stud split event at the 1989 World Series of Poker.

His impact and achievements did not come unnoticed. Mike Sexton was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2009.

Early life of Mike Sexton

He was born Michael Richard Sexton, in september 22, 1947 in Shelbyville, Indiana. His parents got divorced when he was only four years old. When he was young he was actually far from a poker player. He was a gymnast. He earned a degree as public recreation after changing majors from business from The Ohio State University. He began playing poker during college. He often joked that he actually majored in poker due to the time he spent playing. Besides poker, he also played a bit of contract bridge.

Eventually he went on to join the U.S. Army as a paratrooper. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in the year of 1970. He never went on to see combat as the division had just returned from war in Vietnam. His past as a gymnast went on to become useful, when he taught himself ballroom dancing in the army. He began teaching it to people. One of ‘clients’ saw a future salesman in Mike and encouraged him to pursue a career as a salesman. This became relevant later on in his life. During this time he got married. Mike spent a short period working as a salesman before returning to his ‘major in poker’.

He took on poker in 1977 as he thought that he would make more money playing poker, then he would as a salesman. This took a toll on his marriage and they eventually got divorced. It took almost 10 years before he really went for it. In 1985 he moved to Nevada and advanced to a full-time poker player.

The ambassador of poker

Mike Sexton has proved himself at the poker table. He has got an astounding 17 career cashes in the World Poker Tour (WPT). He even won as late as the 2016 World Poker Tour in Montreal. His first prize amounted to $317,896.

His bracelet from the World Series of Poker is still one of his biggest achievements. His highest rank in The Global Poker Index is #212. His all time money amounts to a humongous $6,516,421.

His cashes aside, Mike also cemented himself as a known innovator and entrepreneur within the poker community. Mike Sexton used his wits within his business majors to co-found the Partypoker platform. Partypoker became a major player in the realm of online poker and even topped the list of the biggest poker sites in the United States. Although it had a rough patch with a $500k deficit after its launch in 2020. The former salesman sold his shares two and a half years later for $15 million a year. The company went public later on, after four year, for 9 billion dollars. Auch. Mike Sexton is estimated to have lost around half a billion dollars due to his early departure. He never regretted his decision.

Charity

Even though he lost a lot of ‘dough’, Mike donated a lot of money to charity. He has donated way
beyond $1,000,000.

In 2006 he donated his entire winnings and pledged to do so with all following prizes. In 2009, the same year he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, he went a bit further. Together with Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher and Lisa Tenner, he created PokerGives.org. The organization is non-profit and facilitates a way of making it easier for poker plates to donate to charity.

His wins, ability to commentate, entrepreneurship and heart for charity earned him the high honour of being recognized as the top poker ambassador at the Card Player of the Year Awards Gala in 2006.
Hence his nickname, The ambassador of poker.

Private life of Mike Sexton

Mike’s early divorce propelled him on to use all of his time on poker, but at the age of 60, he remarried. The lucky woman was a hostess at the Bellagio casino. Her name is Karen and they conceived a child. A boy.

His persona and work ethics has even made room for significant quotes from some of the biggest poker players around. Daniel Negreanu, the poker kid, said: “He’s always put a good face on poker. He’s always been someone who promotes the game in a very very positive way”.

The kind word seems to keep on as Phil Hellmuth once said that “Love Mike Sexton. He has been one of the biggest ambassadors for poker we’ve ever had”.

Sadly, Mike Sexton died on september 6th, 2020, at the age of 72 due to a long battle with prostate cancer. BUT Mike Sexton will continue to live on the Poker Hall of Fame and in history, as best described by Nolan Dalla. “Mike Sexton is simply one of the most important people in the history of the game.”

Are you the next Mike Sexton?

Want to test your skills against your friends in a free game of private digital poker? The EasyPoker app provides both chips, cards and an unlimited amount of games – for free. It’s a digital version of a physical poker set that takes care of everything. And so all you have to do is just play your cards. Get the poker app for Android and iPhone.

WANT MORE POKER PLAYER STORIES?

We’re constantly adding new stories of interesting poker players. You can find them all on our blog.
If you have a suggestion for a story you’d like to read, or something to add to this one, let us know in the comments below. Thank you.

Featured on Rich On Tech

We’re so proud to be featured on the Rich on Tech podcast. Listen to the whole Podcast Episode on Spotify or wherever you get your podcast (or use the player below).

On the show Rich shares his experience with the app and talks about how he has been using EasyPoker for his home poker games during the pandemic.

Spoiler: The show loves the app!

EasyPoker is free

Get the app here if you want to get the EasyPoker app for your next home game as well.

The Social Dilemma

There is something wrong with social media. The new docudrama, The Social Dilemma (Netflix, 2020) shows how social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. is having a massive negative impact on human behavior. EasyPoker wants to use ethical design to challenge ‘The Social Dilemma’.

Nowadays everything is connected through the internet. We are always online and it is beginning to divide us. We have switched out human interaction for digital convenience. In the documentary, The Social Dilemma (2020), experts show how social media is designed to change human behavior. We are becoming less social, more digitally addicted and forgetting the benefit of technology.

The Social Dilemma & Digital Poker

Here are 3 ways, EasyPoker solves ‘The Social Dilemma’:

Remember, technology is a tool and so is your smartphone. EasyPoker uses your smartphone, to enhance the overall experience and convenience of poker. The technology makes it much easier to play, anywhere and anytime, without the lack of social interaction. The game needs to be played, face-to-face, with your friends and family. Sure, you can better yourself with a 1vs1 online, but the main goal is to interact in the real world.

In a time with social distancing, it is important to remember that social media is not the only way of interacting. If we use technology to our benefit, we can use it to
retain a ‘normal’ way of living. A poker night doesn’t need to involve physical chips or cards.

EasyPoker solved it with one simple tool. Your smartphone. Without
all of the downsides. It is also better to call someone’s bluff face-to-face, rather than getting tricked by an online poker shark or catfish.

Do not become addicted and gamble with your money, time or morals.

You can get addicted to anything. Smoking, drinking, gambling, social media. The list goes on. Poker’s biggest hurdle is gambling. EasyPoker simply removed the possibility in the game. This is part of our approach to ethical design. Less focus on addictive features and more focus on better user experience. We want you to play, because you like the game, not because you are addicted to it. The tech-industry holds a responsibility to become more transparent and less addictive.

EasyPoker is the product and not the player.

Bring social back

EasyPoker keeps improving. Our players contribute with new ways of making the game better. We want to continue to better ourselves and make ‘technology great again’ and bring social back into our daily digital lives. Together.

#1 Product of the Day

At EasyPoker we’re focused on one thing; creating the digital substitute to the silver case poker set.
We want to give you the experience of physical poker, with the convenience of digital poker – allowing you to fire up a game of poker with friends anytime, anywhere. As part of this mission, we recently launched the on Product Hunt.

Take EasyPoker for a Spin

WHAT IS PRODUCT HUNT?

For those of you not familiar with ‘Product Hunt’ it’s a popular website where makers of digital products can upload their work to get feedback, awareness and followers.
Wired describes it as “Tech’s new tastemaker”, and so it’s kind of a big deal – and a great window to showcase your product to the entire tech industry.
Once you launch your project on Product Hunt, the site’s users can read about it, give you feedback and, if they like what they see, upvote it.
Product Hunt has hundreds of new products uploaded every day, and the site picks out a few of these to be ‘featured’.

EasyPoker on Product Hunt

EasyPoker launched on Product Hunt on July 1st and was quickly picked as one of the sites ‘featured’ products. This was of course amazing.
The hunters really seemed to like the app, and users were quick to comment, ask questions and upvote the product. Product Hunt’s featured list is ranked by number of upvotes, and since most attention goes to the top 5 products of the day, we were happy to find ourselves among those five.

It was a great day with a lot of feedback and interaction with users and tech interested people, and by the end of the day, EasyPoker was at the top of the list and awarded the prestigious ‘#1 Product of the Day” badge to flaunt on our website etc – which we proudly do.

What does this mean for EasyPoker?

Being #1 Product of the day on Product Hunt is a great achievement of which we are really proud and honored. Previous products of the day include now big companies like Pokémon GO, Tesla, Slack, Instagram and a bunch of other cool products that we love.

If you follow us, you know that user feedback is something we take very seriously – in fact users pretty much control the priority of our pipeline and direct our focus. This is because we truly want to build this app, not only for, but with our awesome users.

The #1 Product of the day badge from Product Hunt is a stamp of approval more than anything – an acknowledgement for the entire tech world to see. We’ve already been contacted by several tech blogs and media regarding interviews, so look out for that as well.

Thank you all

We cannot thank our users enough for their continued love and support.
We really pour our heart and soul into this app – all day, everyday – working hard to optimize existing features and constantly incorporating awesome new features.
But none of this would be possible if not for the love, help and feedback from our super engaged user base. In the app stores, on social media and on Product Hunt – we see you, and we really appreciate you.

You can check out our Product Hunt campaign here – we’re of course still crazy for upvotes.

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Interesting Facts About Poker to Tell Your Friends

Want to become a true poker connoisseur? Then take a good luck at some funny and interesting facts about poker that we have put together for you. Enjoy!

Evolution of Poker

Did you know that poker originated in America? It actually took birth in New Orleans, Louisiana. Nowadays, we know it as Texas Hold’em which is just besides Louisiana.

During its first years of development, it came apparent that there was a need for some kind of common currency. Poker chips replaced coins, gold etc. Till this day, poker chips are still used – but it is highly doubtful that they are fabricated the way they were, when they were first coined. Ivory, bone, clay and wood seems to have lost its grip in chips, but luckily poker has not lost its grasp on people.

From Underground to Television

Day by day, year by year, poker evolved. In 1973 it took a giant leap forward. For the first time ever The World Series of Poker was transmitted live from Las Vegas. Tennessee child, Walter “Puggy” Pearson, won $130.000 and the main event that year. Since that year, many more tournaments have been televised for the pleasure of people.

Bigger audience and more people watching poker, means more “eyes on the prize”. Luckily, there are plenty of combinations to go around.

There exists more than 300 million seven card poker hands. That is quite a few. That is just a few millions too many for pros to remember, but they still manage to get the edge on you. Sometimes. It is stated, that the best poker players only got five percent advantage on a skilled poker player.

Dirty Clothes

This is next to nothing, but if you learn to read your opponents? almost nothing might just be enough. It is said that leaning forward or backward is a tell-tell sign of a strong hand.

It is also said that some poker players play in dirty clothes out of shear superstition. SO be aware of your surroundings and smell your way around superstitious players looking for glory (and gold).

Do you know any interesting facts about poker? Comment down below or send us a massage. You can also check out our other blog post with more poker facts.

Poker with Friends

If you like poker then you should check out EasyPoker. It’s an app that’s designed to facilitate live poker among friends. It has a Kahoot style multiplayer system and it’s completely free. Get it for iPhone and Android.

Genius Poker Quotes

A lot has been said about poker. These are some of the best poker quotes ever said. Give it a read. You might earn a chip or two.

“You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once.”
– Amarillo Slim Preston

Make them come back

What Preston means by this poker quote is to make your opponents come back for more. That is the essential point of Amarillo Slim Prestons quote. Beat your opponent, don’t intimidate them.
Bonus: I also heard this poker quote in Rounders and I don’t really know who said it first.

“If you can’t spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.”
– Mike McDermott

The Sucker

As Mike McDermott aka. Matt Damon says, someone is always the sucker at the table. This quote reminds us of exactly that. The question is: Are you fast enough to know if it is yourself who is the sucker?

“If there weren’t luck involved, I would win every time.”
– Phil Hellmuth

Everyone has been thinking this

Do not lie. If you have not heard it, read it or said it – you have definitely thought of it to yourself. Apparently, opponents luck is the only thing that stands between you and the pot (of gold).

“Poker is a lot like sex. Everyone thinks they are the best, but most don’t have a clue what they are doing.”
– Dutch Boyd

Probably true

Another way of saying “Fake it till you make it”.

“Poker is a skill game pretending to be a chance game.”
– James Altucher

Game of skill

Yes. It. Is. There is a human craft behind playing poker. You have know the mechanics of the game, but also how to read your opponent. Once you do, you will learn, that skills beat chance and pros beat noobs. It’s no coincidence that it’s always the same guys at the finale table.

Make your own Poker Quotes

Time for some shameless self promotion – but I think you will like it. With the EasyPoker app you can easily create a game of live social poker and play with your friends. It’s designed to be played face to face. If you’re into poker then you should check it out.

Missing your Favorite Poker Quotes?

Do you have a favourite quote you would like to share? Then write it in the comments below. We are always happy to get feedback from our dear poker community.

Take a look at some of our other blogs and look forward to a lot of exciting news on our app.

Home Poker Tournament

So you’re planning a poker night with your friends and family? That sounds fun! But in order for you to successfully host a poker night you need to have a plan. Luckily we’ve made a to-do for the perfect poker night.

1. Know your rules

First you need to decide what kind of poker you are playing. There are lots of different types of poker games out there so you need to choose which game to play. The most common poker game is Texas Hold’em. Next step is to know all the rules, how big your buy in is and how the hands are ranking.
We’ve made a quick and simle video showing you How to Play Poker.

You should also plan on when you raise the blinds (or if you are doing this at all). When I play poker I normally like to raise the blinds every 15 minutes.

Bonus tip: If you plan on having a cash buy-in, then make sure to collect the money up front. This makes sure that no one forgets about it after the game. It’s also very motivating for players when they have actually seen the potential winnings in the pot.

2. Have the right facilities

poker night massage You will need (of cause) a full poker set with playing cards and poker chips (or the EasyPoker app). Other than that you should have a big table and chairs to sit all players. If you are a perfectionist the table should be round or oval and have a green tablecloth. Remember to leave enough space for the players chips, cards, beverage or what else they might need while playing.

If you are a cool host you should plan a surprise visit from a massage therapist that can massage players during the poker game. This will truly make you popular among the friends and can help you focus even better during the poker night.

3. Use music to set the tone

Music is an important element of the poker night. It should just be a subtle thing in the background to set the tone. I like to use a mix of jazz, old songs, classic music and some soundtracks from Casino Royale and Rounders.

Feel free to use our Playlist on Spotify.

4. Create an Atmosphere

Music is a great way to set the tone. But you will also have to create a more casino like vibe in your house. Clean up your place, lower the lights and pull out the heavy Chesterfield furniture (if you have those).

Make sure to keep the room darken with a light on the poker table. LED strips and Hue lights are also great for creating an exciting poker night atmosphere with warm tones.

5. Snacks & Beverages

It is important to have finger foods and snacks such as chips with dip, nuts, crackers, popcorn, pigs in a blanket, pretzels etc. Everything that does not require the player to have a plate will work.

It’s a good idea to have both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages when playing. It’s always cool to have a straight up whisky or cognac but if you don’t like that, you could go for a whisky sour (one of my favorites).

Poker Night wherever you are

Hosting a poker night is fun but also a lot of work. You often need to plan your night of playing poker weeks in advance. But what about those spontaneous poker games when you’re just hanging out? Chances are that you are not carrying around a poker set, so you will need to figure out something else (or end up not playing at all…). But don’t worry – we have your back. Just download the free EasyPoker app and you’re ready to go. No need for poker chips, playing cards or a table.

This is why Three of a Kind beats Two Pairs

As one of the creators of the EasyPoker app I often get asked about which hands are stronger in texas hold’em poker. The most frequent question is by far if Three of a Kind beats Two Pairs. The question is often stated like “How does three 3’s beat my two pairs of Kings and Jacks?”. This seems confusing for a surprising number of people.

The answer is of cause that three of a kind ALWAYS beats two pairs. No matter the cards.

It’s in the math

Math behind three of a kind

Yes, this might sound boring for non mathematicians but it’s a simple question of math. Actually poker is built on math (you probably already knew that).

Getting a strong hand in poker means beating the odds. The smaller the statistical probability of getting the hand, the bigger the chance of winning. The all-time strongest hand in hold’em poker is the Royal Straight Flush. The chance of getting this hand is 649,739 to 1. That is a probability of 0.000154%. For comparison, the chance of getting a single pair is 49.9%.

So far so good.

Three of a Kind vs. Two Pairs

It might sound crazy that, say, three 2’s will beat a Pair of Aces and a Pair of Kings – but it’s not. The odds of getting any two pairs are actually 20:1. In a game of poker with a deck of 52 playing cards, the cumulative probability of this happening is 7.62%. The chance of getting any Three of a Kind is 2.87%.

So there you have it. The reason why any 3 of a Kind beats any Two Pairs is in the math. Bring this info to your next poker night and you will be a genius among your poker-noob friends.

Complete poker hand ranking guide

If you’re interested you can visit our complete poker hands ranking guide to get up to date on all hold’em poker hands.