Kick Their Asses Doyle
Doyle Brunson recently echoed his displeasure about how that many of today’s internet superstars think that the players of the past would not stand a chance against the young guns of today. To quote Doyle, he said “Another thing that pisses me off is when these “know-it-alls” talk about the old time poker players not being any good. I’d like to see any of the “greats” go back and play Johnny Moss, Pat Renfro, Sailor Roberts, James Roy, Doc Ramsey and a host of other guys that made their living playing NLH. Of course that can’t happen so we’ll never know. I’ve played against both worlds and I think the old guys would chew up these young guns.”
A lot of these internet kids just do not understand what they are saying. I personally am in the generation that includes Ivey, Negreanu, etc. I wasn’t involved in poker when the “old school” players were in dominance, but I know many old school players that are still alive that either played with them or watched them play. The times were a lot different back then. When they say that you literally took you own life into your hands to play poker, they meant it.
What does an internet kid really risk today other than money? Not much. Honestly, this somewhat even applies to my generation. By the time that the late 90 or early 2000’s rolled around, poker had drastically changed. It forever changed in 2003, but it was headed in that direction in regards to how rooms were run etc.
Internet players have a wealth of knowledge and experience at their fingertips, but the one thing that they do no have is toughness. Many also don’t have that “feel” that many of the old school pros have. I have one friend that is in his 70’s and plays stud tournaments on the circuit. I have watched him make his share of final tables. I have attempted to get some lessons from him but one thing that I will not develop quickly is his feel. That takes practice. I’m getting there, but he has me whipped.
Also, poker players from the era where Doyle dominated had to know all games. Knowing Holdem was great, and there was a lot of money to be made, but not everywhere. Read Barry Greenstein’s “Ace on the River” and you will see that for many years, Holdem was illegal in California. If that was the case today out there, internet kids would have to leave the state to play or, heaven forbid, actually learn a new game.
Going back to toughness, I do not think that most of the internet kids could truly make it in Doyle’s era. Why? Look at the typical internet player. If he had to defend himself, what would happen? He would get his ass beat. Many internet players would piss their pants if they had to stare down the barrel of a gun. Doyle would look at the gun and go “you gonna play or what?”
Ok, so maybe Doyle wouldn’t do that, or would he? Doyle wasn’t a little man. I think he would mess someone up. It took a toughness to play back then that went beyond cards. Poker was a hard game and it took hard men to play. (I’m not excluding the ladies, but we all know that poker was 99% men then.)
I looked at the list of games that Doyle wants to play against anyone that would challenge him, and I would love to see anyone take him up on the challenge. By the way internet players, lowball and stud at not sexual terms, so you may want to brush up before you decide to donate to him.
I don’t care how old Doyle is. I would take him at 85 over most any internet player today. Let me break it down so that internet players can understand. You know how all of you cower in fear or star in amazement when Phil Ivey plays? Who do you think Ivey learned from when he started playing the Big Game? It damn sure wasn’t durrrr.
Kick their asses Doyle.
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