Texas Dolly faded a potential bad beat! The legendary Doyle Brunson mentioned on his Twitter feed about a near-miss robbery at his home in Las Vegas last Friday morning. Apparently, a burglar showed up at the wrong house in Doyle Brunson's posh neighborhood and robbed one of his neighbors for only $500. Someone gave the thief a bunk tip about a poker player with nearly $1 million lying around his house, but the thief was given the incorrect address. Brunson reminded all his Twitter followers that he's been robbed five times and even though he's an 83-year old man… he's a heavily-armed old man and walks from his car to his house with a .357 Magnum pistol in his hand.
There's a common expression: “Don't mess with Texas.” You should also not mess with Texas Dolly. The Godfather of poker, Doyle Brunson, has been gambling for over six decades. He cut his teeth almost 60-years ago as road gambler playing in whatever games he could find down in Texas and all over the southwest. Back in those rough and tumble days, poker was still considered an outlaw venture, and players had to worry about whether or not an underground game was going to get busted by the cops or robbers… or both. Over the years, Brunson has survived five robbery attempts, including one in which he faked a heart attack. And over the weekend, Brunson nearly encountered a sixth robbery.
Doyle Brunson had been using his @TexDolly Twitter feed as soapbox for politics (for the record, he doesn't think either candidates are fit for the White House), but he paused his wonk-centric tweets to reveal startling news… he was almost robbed. Luckily, no one was harmed or actually robbed at the Brunson compound because the would-be armed burglar had and inaccurate address and showed up at the wrong house. Yeah, it sounds like something out of a really bad Hollywood script…with a bungling thief arriving at the wrong McMansion.
This criminal was clearly not a poker player because he would know that the majority of pros do not carry around loads of cash…especially in excess of $1 million. In Brunson's case, he might not play as many cash games as he used to, but he still keeps his cash and chips safely secured in various personal safety deposit boxes at casinos all over Las Vegas. And whenever he goes on the road to play, Brunson utilizes technology and gets funds sent to casinos via bank wires.
Doyle Brunson
WARNING... I carry a pistol with me at all times. When I come home I get out of my car with a gun in my hand.
Here's Brunson's entire statement that appeared over a series of tweets on Friday…
“A police officer just left my house. There was a robbery a few doors from my house last night. The robber told the guy he knew he was a poker player and got him in his garage. That was probably meant for me. Don't these idiots know we leave our money at the casinos where we play? He told the victim his cut was supposed to be 700,000. WARNING...I carry a pistol with me at all times. When I come home I get out of my car with a gun in my hand. I have all kinds of silent alarms, motion detectors, etc. Plus I'm 83 years old, have been good with guns all of my life and am not going to be robbed again. 5 times in my life is enough! So any aspirations of trying had better be reconsidered!!! The robber got about $500 from his victim and said he was going to kill his informants for giving him the wrong house.”
This misinformed burglar went under the assumption that a mansion in Spanish Trails held a shit-load of cash, but he showed up at the wrong house. The victim was famous poker player and only had $500 in cash. There wasn't a million in cash as he was led to believe. The thief left with huge disappointment and according to Brunson's neighbor: “He was going to kill his informants for giving him the wrong house.”
Doyle Brunson and Las Vegas Police both agreed that Brunson was most likely the target. However, at least three other poker pros also live in the Spanish Trails, one of the oldest and most exclusive neighborhoods in the Las Vegas valley.
In his autobiography, Brunson mentioned how he nearly lost his own life when a game was robbed, but a shotgun accidentally went off and a player sitting next to him was shot. In 1998, Brunson and his wife were jumped while coming home one late night from the Horseshoe Casino. Brunson went deep in a WSOP event and had some chips on him when he was robbed by two men in ski masks. They only got $4,000 in cash plus Horseshoe chips, but Brunson was able to scare off the assailants by faking a heart attack. Those criminals believed he was dying and ran off. Brunson pulled off the bluff of his life. That was the last known-instance of Brunson's interaction with would-be bandits.
Brunson claimed he survived five robberies, but he's also not taking any chances. The 83-year old told all of his 426K Twitter followers that he's always packing heat. Brunson was very specific when explaining his routine when he arrives home. It's something out of a mafia movie or something, with the white-Stetson-wearing Brunson clutching a 357 Magnum in his hand as he exits his vehicle and heads to his front door, almost daring any would-be punks to take a crack at him. Brunson's property is under heavy surveillance with multiple alarms. He also has an unknown amount of weapons stashed in his house.
To sum up… Doyle Brunson doesn't travel with a lot of cash or chips and he sure as hell doesn't have a mountain of Benjamins stacked inside his home. If by chance you want to try to jack Texas Dolly, you better be careful because old man Brunson is packing heat. And I hear he's a good shot. Out of all the places in Vegas, Brunson's is the last place I'd want to rob. You don't want to mess with heavily-armed Texans.
A police officer just left my house. There was a robbery a few doors from my house last night. the robber told the guy he knew he was
— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) August 12, 2016
a poker player and got him in his garage. that was probably meant for me. Don't these idiots know we leave our money at the casinos where
— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) August 12, 2016
we play? He told the victim his cut was supposed to be 700,000. WARNING...I carry a pistol with me at all times. When I come home I get out
— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) August 12, 2016
of my car with a gun in my hand. I have all kinds of silent alarms, motion detectors, etc. Plus I'm 83 years old, have been good with guns
— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) August 12, 2016
all of my life and am not going to be robbed again. 5 times in my life is enough! So any aspirations of trying had better be reconsidered!!!
— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) August 12, 2016
Check out Doyle Brunson's house on an episode of Poker Cribs with Lizzy Harrison…