Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu Profile
	Nickname: Kid Poker Pokerstars Name: Web: www.pokerstars.com Birthdate: July 26th 1974 Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada Tournaments Won: 23 WSOP Bracelets: 3 Total Winnings: $9,489,995

Daniel Negreanu didn’t win the 2007 World Series of Poker main event but that didn’t stop him showing off a part of his game that bordered on the transcendental. Early on in the contest, holding 2♦2♣ with a flop of 2♠ 5♥ A♦ and two other players already ‘all in,’ he found himself with a tough dilemma. Negreanu stood up and smiling cheekily at his opponents announced, ‘I think I’ve got you guys crushed.’ Stretching, and through a half-yawn, he added, ‘I think you both have ace king.’ He put his chips in and his opponents turned over A♥ K♥ and A♣ J♠ respectively. Though his read wasn’t perfect it still amazed opponents and commentators alike and was enough for him to take down the pot. Poker is not just about winning pots but also knowing when to check or fold. Later in the tournament Daniel had Q♦ 10♣ and with the flop of 5♠ 4♥ Q♠, seemed to hold the top pair. However, he looked across at his opponent, fellow Canadian, Ryan McClean and in a mock conspiratorial tone, whispered, ‘you know what I think you got? Aces. Two aces.’ McClean put his hand to his head but if it was to block out Negreanu’s seemingly psychic powers it was too late. Clearly rattled, McClean checked through the rest of the hand allowing Negreanu the opportunity to view the pocket cards for free. ‘That’s spooky, man,’ was McClean’s response, turning over A♣ A♥.

As the tournament progressed, Negreanu didn’t let up on his reads. He folded against Matt Traudt stating, ‘you have a king nine,’ which would have meant Traudt had hit a ten high straight on the turn. Traudt could only shake his head and say, ‘you’re a sick human,’ as he turned over K♣ 9♣. The crowd went wild and smiling, Traudt pointed out, ‘even when you lose, they cheer you.’ For Negreanu, poker at the highest level is not about the maths. He sees a knowledge of probabilities as a given. ‘Feel or psychological warfare is what it’s all about,’ according to Negreanu. It’s a strongly made point but Daniel’s ‘psychological warfare’ is done playfully, with a smile on his face. It is friendly, charming and all part of his game plan.

Ann and Constantin Negreanu left Romania in 1967 hoping to find an escape from the Communist regime in the United States but instead they ended up setting up home in Toronto, Canada. Their two sons were born five years apart and their youngest, Daniel dreamt of being an actor or comedian. However at fifteen, he opted for the baize rather than the boards and began hustling at pool and learning to play poker. Though his parents longed for Daniel to do something respectable and did not hold back on making their feelings known to their son, they remained supportive of him even when he dropped out of high school at eighteen years old. Daniel’s attempts at holding down jobs were short-lived and instead he made his money through illegal poker games. Diligently keeping a record of his accounts, he tried to convince his parents that poker could be reputable but to no avail. At 21, he took his earnings and headed south across the border to Las Vegas, poker central. Seven months later, he returned home empty-handed, knowing there was something missing in his game. He was lacking a poker character, a table image, a presence to cast doubts into the minds of his opponents. Back in Canada, Negreanu rebuilt his bankroll before heading back to the Nevada desert for another shot. 

Sadly, Constantin Negreanu passed away during this time. But in the face of this adversity, Daniel gained a greater determination to make it as a poker player and developed a disarming, friendly talkative manner at the table. In 1997, he won his first tournament at the Foxwoods in the World Poker Finals and in the following year won the World Series of Poker Pot Limit Hold’em tournament. It was the first WSOP tournament he had entered and at 23, he became the youngest player to have won a bracelet at that time, hence his nickname ‘Kid Poker.’ In 1999, he took over $200,000 in the United States Poker Championship but he didn’t manage his newly acquired riches too well and coupled with a fondness for a drink, Negreanu didn’t fare particularly successfully in tournaments for the next couple of years. He turned the corner in 2001 and finished in the money in no fewer than twenty tournaments including four outright wins.

Since then, Daniel hasn’t looked back and has secured two more WSOP bracelets and notched up big wins in the prestigious World Poker Tours events, the Borgata Poker Open and the Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Each of the WPT tournament victories were worth over $1million and 2004 saw him crowned as ESPN’s Toyota Player of the Year. Though his tournament results from 2005 onwards include just one victory, Negreanu has had many final table finishes and is regularly placed in a cash payout position. With Daniel being compared to own high standards, some commentators have suggested that his many interests, both within the poker world and beyond, have had effected his tournament play. However, this was not a belief shared by Team PokerStars and in 2007, he joined their group of elite poker players as one of their sponsored professionals.

Negreanu’s chatty, personable character has made him many friends within the poker world and gained him a lot of popularity amongst the poker viewing public. In some ways it could be said that he has followed his childhood dream of becoming an actor or comedian, only on the poker stage. However, Kid Poker is honest enough to admit that his verbosity, aside from just being part of his friendly nature, has another repercussion. ‘When you get people talking, you put them at ease,’ he has said. ‘They start acting more naturally and become easier to read.’ Still, this truthful admission says a lot about Daniel’s general openness and his attitude is one of conviviality rather than being underhand. While his general likeability has paved the way for him to be featured in the video game, ‘Stacked with Daniel Negreanu,’ recruited to the Player Advisory Board and even earn the lofty title ‘poker ambassador’ for Wynn Las Vegas casino, it shouldn’t detract from his sharp poker mind. Apart from sticking his neck out and verbalising his amazing reads, he is also a tutor for Poker School Online, written his own book, ‘Hold’em Wisdom for all Players,’ and perhaps most notably, heavily involved as a strategy consultant for the book ‘Doyle Brunson’s Super System 2,’ sequel to arguably the most influential poker book of all time.

Whether it is a deliberate strategy or not, Negreanu’s personality is part of his game and his reads unnerve his opponents, throwing them off their stride. And it produces self-replicating results, inducing behaviour or tells and making his reads easier. It is what makes him a great player and even more so, a great player to watch. However, just maybe the secret to Daniel’s success is closer to home. Having softened her negative opinion of poker since her son became highly successful, his mother Ann has been making vegan packed lunches for Daniel to keep his strength up during arduous tournaments. Occasionally she cooks for his friends too and the friends who were lucky enough to sample Ann Negreanu’s home cooking were Layne Flack, the year he won two WSOP titles and Phil Ivey in 2002, the year he took home three WSOP bracelets.    

You can play online poker with Daniel Negreanu at Pokerstars.

Daniel Negreanu WSOP Tournaments & Top Ten Finishes
	Event* Date Position Winnings 38th Annual WSOP Event 32 - WSOP 7 Card Stud Jun 19th 2007 5th $21,321 38th Annual WSOP Event 21 - WSOP Shootout Jun 12th2007 3rd $101,351 World Poker Open / WPT Event - Season 5 Event 23 - WPT Championship Jan 25, 2007 2nd $502,691 Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic - WPT Championship Doyle Brunson N. American Classic Dec 19th 2006 3rd $592,000 37th Annual WSOP Event 39 - WSOP Championship WSOP FINAL Aug 10th 2006 229th $42,882 37th Annual WSOP Event 29 - WSOP Pot Limit Hold'em Jul 19th 2006 38th $3,878 37th Annual WSOP Event 16 - WSOP Pot Limit Omaha Jul 9th 2006 20th $12,295 37th Annual WSOP Event 8 - WSOP Omaha Hi/Lo Jul 3rd 2006 7th $48,776 37th Annual WSOP Event 5 - WSOP Short Handed Jun 30th 2006 8th $38,852 2006 TOC for the WSOP Poker Pages Ranking Championship Jun 26th 2006 2nd $325,000 National Heads Up Poker Heads Up Mar 6th 2006 7th $75,000 Grand Casino Tunica Poker Tournament Event 22 - WSOP Circuit Championship Jan 27th 2006 1st $755,525 36th Annual WSOP Event 36 - WSOP Limit Hold'em Jul 3rd 2005 22nd $6,725 36th Annual WSOP Event 10 - WSOP Limit Hold'em Jun 11th 2005 36th $3,665 PPT $500,000 Freeroll - Season 1   Feb 25th 2005 3rd $60,000 The 6th Jack Binion World Poker Open / WPT Event WPT Season 3 Main Event Jan 27th 2005 3rd $384,322 Five-Diamond World Poker Classic II / WPT Event WPT Season 3 Main Event Dec 18th 2004 1st $1,770,218 Borgata Poker Open WPT Season 3 Sep 22nd 2004 1st $1,117,400 The Orleans Open 2004 Event 17 Jul 25th 2004 6th $13,315 Championship at The Plaza Main Event Jun 6th 2004 1st $310,000 35th Annual WSOP Event 31 - WSOP Pot Limit Omaha May 19th 2004 8th $45,000 35th Annual WSOP Event 18 - WSOP Shootout May 8th 2004 9th $5,000 35th Annual WSOP Event 15 - WSOP Limit Hold'em May 6th 2004 1st $169,100 35th Annual WSOP Event 11 - WSOP Limit Hold'em May 2nd 2004 7th $21,800 35th Annual WSOP Event 7 - WSOP Apr 28th 2004 3rd $100,940 35th Annual WSOP Event 2 - WSOP Apr 23rd 2004 43rd $4,440 PartyPoker Million lll WPT Season 2 Main Event Mar 18th 2004 2nd $675,178 Caribbean Adventure WPT Season 2 Jan 25th 2004 3rd $192,270 2003 Five Diamond - WPT Season 2 Pot Limit Hold'em Dec 11th 2003 5th $15,059 Showdown at the Sands Nov 24th 2003 6th $67,900 Four Queens Poker Classic Main Event Oct 3rd 2003 7th $16,465 Legends Of Poker WPT Season 2 Aug 7th 2003 4th $10,415 Grand Prix De Paris WPT Season 2 Jul 13th 2003 7th $35,125 34th Annual WSOP Event 32 - WSOP May 15th2003 2nd $210,980 34th Annual WSOP Event 23 - WSOP Limit S.H.O.E May 7th 2003 1st $100,440 34th Annual WSOP Event 19 - WSOP Pot Limit Hold'em May 3rd 2003 6th $13,940 34th Annual WSOP Event 3 - WSOP Limit 7 Card Stud Apr 17th 2003 13th $2,460 L.A. Poker Classic WPT Season 1 Event 9 - Pot Limit Omaha Feb 7th  2003 1st $49,900 Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic Event 3 - Pot Limit Hold'em Dec 4th 2002 6th $4,865 World Poker Finals WPT Season 1 Event 3 - Limit 7 Card Stud Oct 29th 2002 10th $1,110 Costa Rica Classic WPT Season 1 Event 5 Oct 17th 2002 8th $1,200 Four Queens Poker Classic Event 14 - Limit Hold'em Sep 30th 2002 2nd $9,940 Hall of Fame Poker Classic Event 17 - Limit Hold'em Sep 11th 2002 1st $25,850 Hall of Fame Poker Classic Event 8 Sep 4th 2002 9th $2,380 Hall of Fame Poker Classic Event 4 - Limit Hold'em Aug 31st 2002 1st $24,820 Legends of Poker WPT Season 1 Event 18 Aug 17th 2002 1st $44,800 Legends of Poker WPT Season 1 Event 13 - Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Aug 12th 2002 1st $22,600 Legends of Poker WPT Season 1 Event 5 - Limit 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Aug 4th 2002 1st $22,560 2nd Annual Linda Johnson Celebrity Challenge Jun 30th 2002 1st $69,160 2nd Annual Linda Johnson Celebrity Challenge Jun 28th 2002 4th $3,095 Californian State Poker Championship Event 9 - Limit Hold'em & Omaha Jun 15th 2002 6th $2,205 33rd Annual WSOP Event 29 - WSOP Limit Omaha Hi/Lo May 15th 2002 2nd $85,400 33rd Annual WSOP Event 25 - WSOP Shootout - Limit Hold'em May 12th 2002 8th $6,180 33rd Annual WSOP Event 20 - WSOP Limit Omaha Hi/Lo May 7th 2002 11th $4,060 Shooting Star Tournament Event 2 Apr 8th 2002 9th $4,050 WSOP Warm-Up III Event 3 - Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Apr 6th 2002 3rd $1,548 LA Poker Classic Event 22 - Limit Hold'em Feb 22nd 2002 10th $5,119 LA Poker Classic Event 19 - Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Feb 19th 2002 1st $46,740 LA Poker Classic Event 15 - Limit Hold'em Feb 15th 2002 2nd $84,987 LA Poker Classic Event 13 - Pot Limit Hold'em Feb 13th 2002 1st $41,995 United States Poker Championship Dec 2nd 2001 2nd $19,300 United States Poker Championship Nov 28th 2001 7th $1,920 United States Poker Championship Limit 7 Card Stud Nov 27th 2001 8th $1,568 World Poker Finals Oct 28th 2001 1st $35,260 The Four Queens Poker Classic Event 16 Sep 19th 2001 8th $2,182 The Four Queens Poker Classic Event 9 - Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Sep 12th 2001 1st $16,684 Legends of Poker Limit 7 Card Stud Aug 23rd 2001 1st $22,000 Legends of Poker Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Aug 20th 2001 5th $3,685 Austrian Masters and World Heads Up Championship Heads Up Jun 5th 2001 5th $756 32nd Annual WSOP Event 27 - WSOP World Championship May 18th 2001 11th $63,940 32nd Annual WSOP Event 13 - WSOP Limit Razz May 2nd 2001 4th $12,570 Jack Binion's World Poker Open Event 11 - WPO Pot Limit Hold'em Apr 6th 2001 2nd $22,698 LA Poker Classic Limit Hold'em Feb 23rd 2001 8th $6,312 LA Poker Classic Limit H.O.R.S.E Feb 18th 2001 5th $5,160 LA Poker Classic Limit 7 Card Stud Feb 8th 2001 9th $756 LA Poker Classic Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Feb 4th 2001 9th $1,220 1st Annual World Poker Challenge Event 16 - Main Event Jan 26th 2001 3rd $82,935 1st Annual World Poker Challenge Event 2 - Limit 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Jan 12th 2001 1st $22,503 U.S. Poker Championship Event 16 Dec 12th 2000 3rd $8,200 U.S. Poker Championship Event 8 - Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Dec 4th 2000 7th $1,875 30th Annual WSOP Event 9 - WSOP Limit Omaha Hi/Lo May 4th 1999 12th $5,580 United States Poker Championship Event 16 - Championship Feb 27th 1999 1st $210,000 Heavenly Hold'em Aug 6th 1998 9th $1,206 California State Poker Championship Limit Hold'em Jun 16th 1998 1st $40,320 29th Annual WSOP Event 9 - WSOP Pot Limit Hold'em Apr 29th 1998 1st $169,460 1998 L.A. Poker Classic Feb 13th 1998 6th $3,685 1998 L.A. Poker Classic Limit Hold'em Feb 6th 1998 7th $2,715 World Poker Finals Limit Hold'em Dec 9th 1997 1st $38,400

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