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If you say "ten-deuce" to any poker player, almost every one of them will immediately shoot back with "Doyle Brunson." Ten deuce is the hand that Doyle Brunson made famous. Or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, although Doyle had won the 1976 World Series of Poker miraculously with ten deuce when he caught a miracle ten on the river, the hand truly became forever entwined with him at the 1977 World Series of Poker.

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Record Field - 34 Players

Doyle Brunson faced a record field of 34 when defending his world championship title in 1977. While in the face of the enormous fields the World Series of Poker main event generates today this seems like nothing, but it was five times as many entrants as the first main event had brought in six years earlier. There were also twelve preliminary tournaments in 1977, one of which, the seven card stud hi low event, was won by Texas Dolly, Doyle Brunson himself.

If you had asked Doyle his pick to win the 1977 World Series of Poker main event, he very likely would have picked himself. Doyle played brilliantly up to and through the final table, developing perfect reads on his opponents, knowing exactly when to trap and when to bluff, and artfully whittling down the opposition to just one, former dealer Gary "Bones" Berland. It is hard to say whether Doyle felt the chill of fate when he looked down at another T2, this time Ts 2h, but it is known that once again fate was smiling upon him. The flop came Td 8s 5h, giving Doyle top pair, but just as in the year before, Doyle was way behind, as Berland was sitting pretty with the 8h 5c.

Ten-Deuce Wins Again

Berland made the questionable play of slow playing his bottom two pair and checked, though it is likely that Doyle would have called any reasonable bet. Again Doyle was blessed as the 2c came on the turn. Berland chose this time to move all in and of course Doyle called immediately. The Tc came on the river, giving Doyle a winning tens full of deuces for the second consecutive time and sealing Berland's fate. The unlikely happenstance of the same player winning the World Series of Poker championship two years in a row with the same unusual hand made the ten two hand famous forever. Winning the $340,000 prize also helped make Doyle famous forever, as he used the winnings to put together and publish is book Super/System, now considered the holy bible for poker players looking to learn or brush up their game.

Ten WSOP Bracelets

If you're wondering whether the 10 2 coincidence is just superstition and not some kind of signal from the poker gods, here's something else to consider. In 2005, at the age of 72, Doyle won yet another World Series of Poker bracelet, making his total for the WSOP: World Series of Poker bracelets won: 10. World Series of Poker championships won: 2.

1977 WSOP Tournaments and Winners

Event	Winner	Prize	Entrants
$10,000 Championship Event	Doyle Brunson	$340,000	34
$500 A-5 Draw	Billy Allen	$10,800	N/A
$10,000 2-7 Draw	Bobby Baldwin	$80,000	N/A
$5,000 Seven-Card Stud	Bobby Baldwin	$44,000	N/A
$500 Razz	Gary Berland	$8,300	N/A
$1,000 Seven-Card Stud Split	Doyle Brunson	$62,500	N/A
$5,000 A-5 Draw	Perry Green	$10,000	N/A
$1,000 No-Limit Holdem	George Huber	$33,000	N/A
$1,500 No-Limit Holdem	Louis "Sager" Hunsucker	$34,200	N/A
$100 Women's 7-Card Stud	Jackie McDaniels	$5,580	N/A
$1,000 Seven-Card Stud Split	Fats Morgan	$10,800	N/A
$500 Seven-Card Stud	Jeff Sandow	$11,400	N/A
$5,000 Razz	Richard Schwarz	$25,000	N/A

WSOP Year By Year

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2006 WSOP	1998 WSOP	1988 WSOP	1978 WSOP
2005 WSOP	1997 WSOP	1987 WSOP	1977 WSOP
2004 WSOP	1996 WSOP	1986 WSOP	1976 WSOP
2003 WSOP	1995 WSOP	1985 WSOP	1975 WSOP
2002 WSOP	1994 WSOP	1984 WSOP	1974 WSOP
2001 WSOP	1993 WSOP	1983 WSOP	1973 WSOP
2000 WSOP	1992 WSOP	1982 WSOP	1972 WSOP
	1991 WSOP	1981 WSOP	1971 WSOP
	1990 WSOP	1980 WSOP	1970 WSOP