Puls started on piano at age 11 but switched to bass soon after.
At the age of 19 he won a national competition; this allowed him to study with Vaclav Jiskra, who was then the first bassist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
Puls played in this orchestra from 1936 to 1941, while also working in jazz bands, including those of Roy Eldridge, Jack Teagarden and Benny Carter.
He moved to Los Angeles in 1941, where he played with Benny Strong and Spade Cooley as well as being part of the Burbank Symphony Orchestra.
Puls freelanced after leaving Teagarden, and died at age 82 in 1998.