Brunson vs Berland
World Series of Poker, Main Event, 1977 · The Final Hand
A legend at the 1977 final table
The Hand
Doyle Brunson and Gary "Bones" Berland. Stack sizes from this hand were not published.
Before the Flop
- Blinds are posted. Brunson has the button.
- Brunson calls.
- Berland checks.
The Flop
- Berland checks.
- Brunson checks.
The Turn
- Berland checks.
Brunson bets. Why
Brunson. Brunson has made two pair, and after a checked flop his opponent looks weak. Betting gets value from any eight, five or draw.
- Berland moves all in.
- Brunson calls. The famous decision
The River
Play Brunson vs Berland, decision by decision
Play This Hand
The turn
The Famous Decision
Brunson. Heads-up and with the chip lead, tens and twos beat most of what a check-raise looks like here: one pair, a draw, or eights and fives. They did, and the river made it a full house.
Berland had eights and fives and was behind. The river ten gave Brunson a full house.
The Result
Brunson wins at the showdown with Full house, Tens full of Twos.
- Brunson10♠2♥Wins
- Berland8♥5♣
Why It Is Famous
Doyle Brunson won the 1977 Main Event with ten-deuce, a year after winning the 1976 title with the same hand. He used the money to publish Super/System. The story is famous because it is unlikely, not because ten-deuce is worth playing.
What to Take from It
Ten-deuce is a bad hand that won twice. Remember the story, not the hand.
Sources
What the sources do not say. No bet sizes, blinds or stacks are documented for this hand. It is told as a story, with no chip amounts. In 1976 Brunson also won with ten-deuce, getting all in against a better hand and filling up on the river. Sources disagree on which street the money went in, so that hand is not played here.
Make both decisions, then see what really happened
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