Doyle responds to cheating in the big game and elsewhere

[Riddick]

An old post from RGP years ago that I saved. Certain of its authenticity. Enjoy.

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It looks slow so I thought I would post this now. Everybody that blasts me
about my "farewell" better be careful [just kidding, blast away]. It has been
difficult, almost impossible, to distance myself from this cheating stuff.
Between my son, 84 e-mails, and a couple of dozen phone calls, and all the
conversation I feel obligated to respond. It is true I know a lot about
cheating...I make it my business to learn. How do I find out?...Through people
that do cheat...Why do they tell me?..because they want a favor, want to sell
me the info, or want to borrow money. Will I tell anyone who it is or what they
tell me?..No. If I do that, I'll never find out another thing. I'm not the
"catch cheaters" police! I'll try my best to protect myself and my game only.
If that makes me a bad guy, so be it.

I do like the idea of being the "head bull" of my territory, but the truth is,
I've been terrorized by a 106 lb. girl named Jennifer and a 125 lb. Chinaman
named Chow. And me weighing closer to 400 lbs than 300 lbs. So the "Bull" isn't
doing a very good job. And yes, I'm loser in the big game at the Bellagio, but
I haven't given up

I also loved the idea of being the "godfather" of the "Poker Mafia". The only
trouble is I haven't caught anyone cheating in the big game.I would enjoy
saying, "Johnny World, go down to the 4-8 hundred game... Eli, you have to
play 2-4 for a week..David Grey, you have been a bad boy, you play 50-100 for a
month". You wouldn't appreciate me writing here what they would tell me to do.

Before I start on the GCA, let me say that I don't dislike them because they
are cheaters, I don't dislike them because they do drugs [no, I've never seen
them do them] I don't dislike them for trying to start a "cheating protection"
business. I do dislike them for trying to extort me and Eric, telling lies when
they couldn't think of anything else, but most of all because they are
confessed snitches, stool pigeons, informers or whatever word you want to use.
To me, that is the bottom rung on the ladder. They DO have knowlege about the
"old days" and some of the things they say, I've heard for years about
different scams.They just don't know as much as they think. They haven't come
up with anything I didn't already know about cheating and haven't mentioned
some things that I do know. And it is painfully apparent they know nothing
about todays poker. I think poker is the cleanest it has been in many years.
The very people they have attacked were instrumental in cleaning it up.

Now, down to the specifics. Let me say, EVERYBODY I respect in the poker world
has advised me to leave this alone and ignore it. According to them, the
publicity and attention is what they want so I'm playing right into their
hands. But they aren't the ones that have been accused. My freind of 30 years,
Cowboy Wolford, got into a fight in Oceanside because some players printed out
some of RGP and took it to the card room. Mike Caros wonderful wife Phylis
said, when I asked her what she thought about all this cheating business, "I
don't know what to think". geez.... If she don't know what to think, how about
everyone else.

Now to what the GCA has accused me of. It shows how little they know outside
of their own experiences. In their 1st accusation, Bill N tells the story about
me and Puggy. When I pointed out every player has to act on their hand before
the dealer burns and deals, they said that was why the rule was later changed.
BULL...this is a small point I know but it shows their mentality. I have NEVER
played in a no limit lowball game that a dealer could burn and then asked the
players to act. Ask Billy Baxter, Aubrey Day, Puggy Pearson. They will confirm
what I said. Next, they said I had used marked cards at the Dunes [I shudder to
think what Tony Spilotro would have done to me] The Horseshoe, Ca. card clubs,
Mirage, and the Bellagio. I have NEVER used marked cards in my life and I mean
NEVER. Then they say I am cheating at the Bellagio..using marked cards,
electronic devices, etc. Not only have I not done that, I have never heard a
player at the Bellagio say they even THOUGHT they might have been cheated. Nor
do I have any knowledge of any person or persons cheating at the Bellagio.

Here is what I propose...GCA has said they will pay for anyone willing to take
a polygraph. They say Mike Caro is the one and only one to arrange it. Thats
fine. As mad as I am at him and Nolan for letting this thing get off the
ground, I'll admit I think he is honest[but the dumbest genius I've ever
known]. However, lets not take chances...lets take 2 more respected people in
the gambling community..Linda Johnson, Barry Shulman, Mike Sexton come to mind,
let them each,independent of the others, find the top polygraph people in the
USA, bring them in without telling anyone else when or where. Mike can be the
captain and coordinate everything. I really like Teds CANING concept, but we
don't want to kill a top player like Russ. Let the GCA put up 20,000 dollars
[the cost of flying these people in and paying their fee will be expensive],
I'll put up 100'000. Do that and maybe this will put an end to all this.. This
isn't limited to the GCA. All those who said the rumors could well be true, put
your money up and get 5-1. Post with Mike GCA, my money will be right behind
yours.

I feel like I've written another book but let me say one more thing. I'm not
going to continue this witch hunt about anything else. So, if anyone says,
"that might not have been true, but what about that..or this". Forget it. I
just want to be left alone and play poker. I know there can't be many more
years that I can play at the top. I've never claimed to be a saint, certainly
I'm nobodys hero, and don't consider myself to be an icon or pillar of the
gambling world. I want my legacy to be that I played at the highest level for
longer than anyone else.

Doyle Brunson

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[Red Lion]

Good stuff.

[BluffTHIS!]

Maybe that idiot Russ Georgiev will come here and respond again to Doyle's words you quote above.

[Willy]

Thanks. This needs to be posted periodically for those like me who are relatively new to the forums.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
Next, they said I had used marked cards at the Dunes [I shudder to think what Tony Spilotro would have done to me]

[/ QUOTE ]

That's my favorite line in the post.

For those who need to be reminded who Tony Spilotro is, these pictures should help:


The real Spilotro



As portrayed by Joe Pesci in "Casino"

[amplify]

Lol Chinaman Chow.

[Autocratic]

[ QUOTE ]
Lol Chinaman Chow.

[/ QUOTE ]

That was my favorite part.

[Toddy]

Is there an article saying he cheated? I never heard of this

[cpitt398]

I thought the most interesting thing about that response was that he disliked Russ the most for being a stoolpigeon.

[Army Eye]

[ QUOTE ]
Is there an article saying he cheated? I never heard of this

[/ QUOTE ]

Russ Georgiev used to accuse Doyle, Chip and many other big names of cheating all the time, on rec.gambling.poker.