SOURCE: Las Vegas Review-Journal

(Las Vegas, NV) — The VIP lounge at the World Series of Poker is a players-only sanctuary.

Hidden just outside of the Rio's main tournament room, the lounge allows the game's biggest names to grab a snack, shoot pool, surf the Internet, test their skills on a putting green or just relax.

The lounge is also the place where two-time world poker champion Doyle Brunson holds court.

At 73, Brunson is the game's living legend, and he's treated as such by poker's most recognizable superstars.

On a break in play during the $50,000 buy-in HORSE event, players flocked into the lounge. When they saw Brunson, each immediately wanted to describe a hand in which they doubled up in chips or staved off elimination.

"You're a great all-around player. You were my first alternate," Brunson told Annie Duke, one of the game's top female players. He was putting together a team of players for side wagers.

Most of the players affectionately referred to Brunson by his poker nickname, "Texas Dolly," which pays tribute to his home state. Brunson's ever-present cowboy hat symbolizes his heritage.

Longtime professionals, up-and-coming players and amateurs who learned the game on the Internet all treat Brunson with reverence.

If poker is a sport, then consider Brunson the game's Arnold Palmer, who helped pioneer the professional golf tour into a sports staple during the 1960s and 1970s. Even today, when Palmer plays in a PGA Tour event, he receives standing ovations from the gallery.

The same is true with how poker players and poker fans view Brunson. He draws applause throughout the tournament room and his presence carries the aura of an American icon.

"What I love about poker is that people do understand the tradition," said Nolan Dalla, the director of public relations for the World Series of Poker who has promoted and written about the game for almost two decades.

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