Girls @ World Series of Poker: Pamela Brunson

Pamela Brunson

Pam Brunson was born in Texas to a family with professional poker already an integral part of life, as her father Doyle was a pro player. When she was nine-years old, the family moved to Las Vegas. While they maintained a somewhat normal life, there was always some semblance of poker in the lives of everyone. For Pam and her brother Todd, it was learning to play at Oceanside Card Club that was owned by a friend of Doyle, and they cut their teeth at the limit hold’em tables several times per week. Despite Pam’s love for cards, though, she graduated from college with a sociology degree and took a job in the work-a-day world as a receptionist in the retirement home industry. She worked hard – something she learned from her father – and earned promotion after promotion to end up as the executive director of an assisted living community. She then combined her passion for cards by teaching residents to play various games, including poker.

It was in 2006 that Pam decided to play more poker. She learned no-limit and began to focus on tournament play, though her father wasn’t exactly thrilled. Even as he encouraged her brother to become a professional poker player, he discouraged Pam from doing the same.

By the latter months of 2006, her official poker resume began. Pam made final tables of the Ultimate Poker Challenge in November of that year and January of 2007. She then cashed twice in the 2007 World Series of Poker and was very proud that she was the last Brunson standing in the $10,000 main event. By the time the World Poker Tour rolled into Los Angeles for the 2007 Legends of Poker, she was ready. She played the $1000 ladies event and defeated 124 competitors to win $34,435 for first place and a seat into the WPT Ladies Night invitational tournament.