Doyle Brunson Skipping 2022 WSOP Due to COVID-19 Concerns
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Doyle Brunson's many fans won't get to watch him compete at the 2022 World Series of Poker due to COVID-19 concerns, at least for now.
The poker legend shared some disappointing, but understandable, news on Twitter Sunday.
looks like covid is everywhere at the WSOP. I'm gonna have to miss some tournaments I wanted to play but there are�� https://t.co/J1RzC79qrd
— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly)
Wife's Health More Important than Poker
For anyone who has been following poker Twitter in recent days, it's no secret that the virus has been spreading around Bally's and Paris. That shouldn't come as a surprise given the current coronavirus strain, according to experts, is more contagious than previous strains. With poker players hovering around each other in close proximity for hours on end, a breakout was to be expected at some point.
That said, the COVID-19 spread hasn't forced the cancellation of any events, nor have we seen players removed from tournaments due to health concerns. Still, "Texas Dolly" has a wife at home whom he cares dearly about. Thus, he's going to skip the WSOP so that he doesn't risk infecting the woman he's been married to for the past 60 years.
He didn't, however, rule out changing his mind later in the series if the virus is under control at the WSOP. For now, he's taking a wait and see approach.
Louise Brunson, Doyle's spouse and mother of Poker Hall of Famer Todd Brunson, has battled some health issues in recent years. Her pre-existing conditions leave her vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Doyle Returned to Action at the 2021 WSOP
At the 2021 WSOP, Brunson surprised the crowd when he showed up at the Rio to compete on Halloween. He made a quick exit in the $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em, but he received plenty of fanfare just for coming to play.
The 1976 and 1977 world champion again surprised the poker world when he not only entered the 2021 WSOP Main Event, but also reached Day 3 where he bowed out just short of the money. He hasn't cashed at the summer poker extravaganza since a memorable sixth place finish in the 2018 $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship.
At the time, it was presumed the 2018 final table appearance would be the last time we'd ever see the poker icon compete at the World Series of Poker. But he had a change of heart since and has competed in a few events to the delight of his adoring fans.
Brunson has been stuck on 10 bracelets since 2005, and it would be perhaps the most improbable outcome in poker history for the 88-year-old poker pro to become just the second player ever to reach 11 bracelets (Phil Hellmuth has 16).
Virus Spreading at the WSOP
Doyle's concerns aren't unreasonable, to say the least. A number of players on social media have reported testing positive for COVID-19. That includes Hellmuth, who has been out for a few days and was still testing positive on Saturday, which he showed in a video clip.
Sigh�� https://t.co/JmvhhLldBX
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth)
It's been a rough start to the series for the Poker Hall of Famer. First, it was a bout with "traveler's diarrhea" sidelining him from the first couple of days. Now, it's COVID-19. He said in the video he's hoping to be back in action by Monday so that he can attempt to defend his title in the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw.
Other players on the shelf with COVID-19 include David "ODB" Baker, 2021 Ladies Event winner Lara Eisenberg, among others. Despite the negativity surrounding the virus outbreak, it appears most of the cases involving the WSOP have been mild or moderate.
Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2022 WSOP is here.
In this Series
- 1 Officials Offer First Look at 2022 WSOP; Answer Several Lingering Questions
- 2 Bally's & Paris: Your Guide to the New Home of the World Series of Poker (WSOP)
- 3 Negreanu, Deeb (as Expected) Highest Bids in $25k WSOP Fantasy Draft
- 4 WSOP Transportation Guide: Riding the Las Vegas Strip Monorail
- 5 Let the Games Begin: 2022 WSOP is Officially Underway
- 6 Phil Hellmuth Misses 2022 WSOP Opener After Bout of Traveler's Diarrhea
- 7 Kenney, Schindler & Imsirovic Arrive at 2022 WSOP Despite Recent Cheating Allegations
- 8 Phil Ivey is Back! Poker G.O.A.T. Cashes First 2022 WSOP Event
- 9 Baltimore Raven Calais Campbell at WSOP: "We Have Super Bowl Potential"
- 10 2022 WSOP Featured Females: Katie Kopp Becomes Bally's First-Ever Bracelet Winner
- 11 WSOP Player of the Year Race One Week In: Defending Champ Arieh Off and Running
- 12 ClubGG Offers Bubble Protection For Eight 2022 WSOP Events
- 13 Doyle Brunson Skipping 2022 WSOP Due to COVID-19 Concerns
- 14 Retired NBA Star Paul Pierce Allegedly Won't Pay His Poker Debts
- 15 Scott Seiver Pays $43k to Enter $1k WSOP Event, Fails to Cash
- 16 2022 WSOP Featured Females: Lara Eisenberg Talks Poker's Impact on Dementia
- 17 2022 WSOP Hands of the Week: Depaulo vs. Hellmuth, a Pure One Outer & a Royal Flush
- 18 Reigning World Champ Koray Aldemir Quietly Crushing it at 2022 WSOP
- 19 2022 WSOP Player of the Week 2: Jeremy Ausmus Wins Third Bracelet in 9 Months
- 20 Hellmuth Controversy at WSOP: Poker Brat's Chips Swiped on Break
- 21 Security Mistakenly Tries to Kick Out Neymar Jr. After He Cashes First WSOP Event
- 22 Breaking News: Phil Ivey Closing in on Elusive 11th WSOP Bracelet Tonight
- 23 Doyle Brunson Becomes a WPT Ambassador, Might Play WSOP Main Event
- 24 World Series of Daniel's? Zack, Weinman (But Not Negreanu) Lead POY Race
- 25 WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller Kicks Off; Ivey, Negreanu and Kenney All Enter
- 26 Ali Imsirovic Busts WSOP $250K Super High Roller on Brutal Cooler
- 27 Cruising in the $250k, Is 2022 One of Phil Ivey's Best WSOP's Ever?
- 28 Runner-Runner Bad Beat Tilts Negreanu; Poker Star Out of WSOP $250k
- 29 Navy Vet Reps Military Charity During WSOP Salute to Warriors Event
- 30 2022 WSOP Featured Females: Meet Wendeen Eolis, 1st Woman to Ever Cash Main Event
- 31 Dan Zack Still Leads WSOP POY Race; Ivey, Deeb within Striking Distance
- 32 888poker Pro Ian Simpson Gears Up for 2022 WSOP Main Event
- 33 Poker Players Who Have Defended Their WSOP Bracelet
- 34 How to Make Day 2 of the Million Dollar Bounty
- 35 Poker Player Wins WSOP Main Event Satty in His Sleep...Literally
- 36 Josh Arieh Flushed Out of WSOP Main Event Early; Four Past Champs in Day 1a
- 37 2022 WSOP Hands of the Week: Yuvee Loses $50K to Pair of Deuces; Ivey Hits Ace from Space
- 38 BREAKING: Phil Hellmuth at 2022 WSOP $3,000 NLH Final Table, Chasing 17th Bracelet
- 39 Will the 2022 WSOP Main Event Smash the Attendance Record?
- 40 Barstool Sports' Cracking Aces Podcast Hosts Crush it on Main Event Day 1
- 41 WSOP Main Event Railbird Pays Back Daniel Negreanu Four-Year "Debt"
- 42 Matt Glantz Finds the $1 Million WSOP Bounty
- 43 BREAKING: WSOP Main Event Day 2 Schedule Altered
- 44 Aces Bust Kings 15 Minutes into Day 1b of WSOP Main Event
- 45 The Muck: Ike Haxton Takes on Barstool Sports' Poker Invasion
- 46 2022 WSOP Player of the Week 5: Jessica Teusl Wins First Bracelet at First WSOP
- 47 2022 WSOP Main Event Draws Massive Field, Almost Breaks All-Time Record
- 48 Phil Hellmuth's World Series of Poker Entrance Met w/ a Chorus of Boos
- 49 Robert Lipkin is the 2022 WSOP Main Event Bubble
- 50 SO SICK! Kings vs. Kings Cooler Busts 888poker's Sam Abernathy from the WSOP Main Event
- 51 Koray Aldemir: Back-to-Back WSOP Main Event Runs "A Privilege"
- 52 Brutal River! Aces, Queens, & Jacks All In Preflop in WSOP Main Event
- 53 Former World Champ Tom McEvoy Shares his Poker Samadhi Wisdom
- 54 Did Alejandro Lococo Pull Off Best WSOP Main Event Bluff Since Moneymaker?
- 55 The Muck: Did Mike Matusow Really Have a Blow Up in the WSOP Main Event?
- 56 Dan Zack Claims 2022 WSOP Player of the Year Honors
- 57 How Much Money Players at 2022 WSOP Main Event Final Table Really Made
- 58 Espen Jorstad Wins 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event for $10,000,000
- 59 Las Vegas Active Shooter Rumors Spark Panic; WSOP Impacted, Negreanu Injured
- 60 Quads Dooms Asher Conniff at WSOP Main Event Final Table
- 61 Aces Cracked! Souki Busts from WSOP Main Event Final Table
- 62 Espen Jorstad Holds Commanding Lead in Pursuit of WSOP Main Event Title
- 63 Not Su's Day: From Chip Leader to Out in 9th Place
- 64 A Look at All the 2022 WSOP Online Michigan Bracelet Winners
- 65 Five Memorable Hands from the 2021 WSOP Main Event Final Table
- 66 Where Are They Now: Ron ��The Carolina Express�� Stanley Battled Stu Ungar at 1997 WSOP
- 67 WATCH: One of the Best Folds in WSOP Main Event History?
- 68 Adrian Attenborough Just Made Two of the Gutsiest Plays of the 2022 WSOP
- 69 Can Karim Rebei Click his Way to a WSOP Main Event Title?
- 70 Cool, Calm & Collected Efthymia Litsou is WSOP Main Event's Last Woman Standing
- 71 2022 WSOP Hands of the Week: Quads, Quads, Quads, Quads!
- 72 Brutal River! Aces, Queens, & Jacks All In Preflop in WSOP Main Event
- 73 Daniel Negreanu Wraps 2022 World Series of Poker Down $1.1 Million
- 74 How the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Will Be Remembered
- 75 PN Podcast: 2022 WSOP Main Event Final Thoughts; Interviews w/ Main Event Final Three