INTERVIEW WITH DOYLE BRUNSON
Winner of 10 WSOP bracelets and twice World Champion
August 2006, in a hallway at the Rio with the 2006 Main Event in its final days
——
LDP — In your wildest dreams…
DB — No, don’t ask me that question. That’s the question that everybody asks.
LDP — OK. Then I’ll ask you the one I asked Robert Varkonyi on Saturday when I arrived here. He said that poker had reached its asymptote, and I said, “What the heck are you talking about?”, because it wasn’t a word I was familiar with. He said it means that the level of increases (in poker’s growth) will start to diminish and there’ll be a plateau-ing, if you will.”
DB — Well, he’s crazy. It’s just now beginning to reach out. I mean there’s so many players in Asia and Europe that aren’t even aware of everything that will keep it going for years. Plus, America’s beginning to find out. Most Americans do play or they know about poker at least. Particular the Asians; they haven’t even scratched the surface over there yet.
LDP — I also asked Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer a couple of weeks ago whether there should be a cap on the number of entries (in the main event), and I think you answered that question a few minutes ago (in another interview).
DB — No, I think they should never cap it.
LDP — Greg was worried that they couldn’t get enough dealers if they had like 50,000 players in this thing.
DB — Well, I mean they’ve got five properties right here in town, Harrah’s has, and every one of them has got a poker room and they’ve got dealers in there, so all they’ve got to do is just start it at each property and then consolidate it toward the end.
LDP — Has this surge in poker kind of energized you. I mean, you’ve been around for awhile and you’ve been playing for a long time. Is poker fresher for you now?
DB — No, my interest has never diminished. The only thing that’s slowed me down is Doyle’s Room, the Internet poker room that I represent. And I’ve put a little bit too much energy into that, probably. That might have took a little bit of my focus off this tournament. I think I probably wasn’t as focused as I should have been.
LDP — Looking ahead to next year, then, are you going to change your planning period?
DB — I’m going to try to. I’m going to try to.
LDP — Wouldn’t it be sweet to get one more?
DB — Oh, I’m gonna get one more.
LDP — Thank you very much.
DB — Thank you.