Born in Longworth, TX, in 1933, Tex Dolly (as he’s also known world-over), was a promising athlete as a young man. Because he lived in a small town (a village really) he often had to run to neighboring towns for different reasons and chores. That largely contributed to the development of his athletic abilities.
He attended the Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX, and upon graduation, the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA became interested in the young basketball player. His NBA career would never even begin though. The summer before his potentially first NBA season, he suffered an accident that broke his leg in two places.
He had to spend two years in a cast, and needless to say, the dream of ever becoming a professional basketball player was out the window.
Never a person to be daunted by adversity, Doyle looked for other preoccupations at which he could excel. Enter poker.
He began by playing in all sorts of illegal games in Forth Worth, then teamed up with Amarillo Slim, and Sailor Roberts and began traveling the state in search of action. Because of the illegal nature of the games they took part in, they often ended up staring down the barrel of a gun or being mugged and beaten up. It was certainly a far cry from what you will find today in a civilized casino or poker room.
Regardless of the adverse circumstances though, the troop soon gathered enough money to justify a trip to Las Vegas. Even though they were a bunch of battle-hardened gamblers, the Strip got the better of them the first time around. They lost all their money and they split up as associates, but decided to stay friends.
After the fiasco, Doyle himself settled in Las Vegas and began to methodically improve his play. He eventually succeeded, so much so as a matter of fact, that he became the best known Texas Holdem player in history.
He won 10 WSOP bracelets throughout his career, and finished in the money 29 times. He won the Main Event twice too.
In the WPT, he took home a title, three final table appearances and four money finishes. He’s still an active participant in the $4,000/$8,000 Bellagio cash game which is the world’s biggest cash game.
His other poker related accomplishments include the authoring and co-authoring of several books on poker, books that Doyle himself admitted cost him much more in the long-run than he would’ve liked. His Super System and Super System 2 are considered basic education for anyone who intends to take up poker as a serious career.
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