This week marks the 45th anniversary of the release of Super/System by Doyle Brunson, a groundbreaking move that forever changed the world of poker. Prior to this, poker pros like KFC and Coca Cola guarded their secrets, keeping their winning formulas to themselves. But in 1979, Doyle Brunson went against the grain and opened up his finely tuned strategies to the public.
At the time, sharing strategies wasn’t the norm. Today, successful professionals from various fields, including poker, build their brands by offering training, courses, and books. But it was Brunson who took that daring first step, teaching the very players he would face across the tables.
The ‘Million Dollar’ Promise
To ensure the book’s success, Brunson’s original title was How I Made Over $1,000,000 Playing Poker — a surefire way to grab attention, especially among beginners. After all, the ‘million dollar’ tag is a tried-and-tested method for selling poker products. But Brunson had the credentials to back up the title. Having won the 1976 and 1977 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Events, he had cemented himself as one of the best players of his time.
Unlike the hasty publications by others like Amarillo Slim, Super/System wasn’t a quick cash-grab. It was a serious, professional tool aimed at educating players. Initially priced at $100 (equivalent to over $400 today), it wasn’t just for the masses but for dedicated poker enthusiasts who were serious about improving their game.
The ‘A-Team’ of Poker
Brunson’s goal with Super/System was to provide a comprehensive, practical, and advanced guide to the popular poker games of the era. To ensure he was offering the best strategies, he enlisted top poker minds from various games. The book became a collective effort from some of the greatest players of the time:
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Mike Caro contributed a chapter on Draw Poker.
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David Sklansky wrote about Stud Hi/Lo.
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David ‘Chip’ Reese covered Seven-Card Stud.
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Joey Hawthorne shared his Lowball expertise.
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Bobby Baldwin contributed a chapter on limit Hold’em.
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Doyle Brunson himself focused on No-Limit Hold’em.
Together, they formed a powerhouse of poker knowledge, making Super/System the bible for serious poker players and the catalyst for a booming industry of poker strategy products.
The Cost of Revealing Secrets
Brunson admitted that Super/System cost him more than he ever made from it. By sharing his strategies, he essentially armed his opponents with the tools to beat him. But as any great poker player knows, the game has to evolve. After the release of Super/System, Brunson had to adapt his own game to stay ahead of the curve.
While the strategies from the book remain relevant, the post-Super/System era demanded that players evolve and innovate constantly. In this sense, the book both shaped and was eventually outpaced by the evolution of poker itself.
The Legacy of Super/System
Twenty-five years after the release of the original, Super/System 2 was published, capitalizing on the poker boom that followed Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 WSOP victory. Brunson once again assembled an elite team of poker stars, including Daniel Negreanu, Johnny Chan, Jen Harman, and Steve Zolotow, to contribute to the new book.
While Super/System 2 was a great follow-up, it could never replicate the revolutionary impact of the original. Brunson’s legacy in the poker world is unparalleled, both as a player and as a poker strategist. His influence is seen not only in the players he mentored but in the very industry of poker strategy products that has flourished in his wake.
