The Epic Poker League has been surrounded by scandal at a few of its events to this point, but this news about the EPL is what many would consider good news. While all players have to meet certain requirements to even earn entry into any EPL event, the news that came out today is that Doyle Brunson has earned a lifetime player card to any Epic Poker League event. What this means is that Brunson can play in any EPL event, at any time that he feels, regardless of the entry requirements and whether or not he meets them.
It’s news that may not blow many people away, but it is definitely well deserved for one of the greatest players in the history of poker. Brunson is known by almost any poker player or fan in the world, and his results speak for themselves. This decision was made by Jeffrey Pollack, who is the Executive Chairman for the company who owns the EPL, Federated Sports & Gaming. Pollack said that the decision was essentially made because of contributions that Brunson has made to the game in his career.
The membership cards that are given to players vary by their earnings and results throughout the years, and Brunson was currently holding a 2-year Category A card, and this means that his eligibility goes through the year 2013. In order to get this card players have to have at least $2 million in lifetime poker tournament earnings, and a maximum of $1 million can come from a single poker tournament.
Now, it’s important to note that just because Brunson has received this lifetime exemption, it doesn’t mean that he will participate in any of the events. Brunson has stuck with the cash game tables in the recent years, stating that poker tournaments are simply “getting too hard to come through”, and that he doesn’t plan to partake in many tournaments for the remainder of his life. All EPL events feature $20k buy-in’s, which is definitely one of the largest buy-ins for a poker event out there today.
All in all, if anyone deserves this type of honor, it is definitely Doyle Brunson.