Daniel Negreanu

Biography

Daniel Negreanu could easily be the most recognized face in poker today. He has an immense passion for the game and a cunning ability to read his opponents. Although this may make Negreanu out to be a tough, unapproachable player, “Kid Poker” is light-hearted, friendly, and good-natured both on and off the felt.

Intro

Daniel Negreanu was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1974. He started playing poker when he was 21 years old and has been doing it ever since. He is widely considered to be one of the best players in the world as his title collection features 5 WSOP bracelets, 2 WTP titles and numerous cashes in the world's major poker events. Negreanu is also a member of Team PokerStars pro, an author and a co-author of some of the most popular poker books including Hold’em Wisdom for All Players and Doyle Brunson’s Super/System II.

Background

The native of Toronto, Canada, Negreanu got his start in gambling as a young teenager hanging out in pool halls, hustling, betting on sports, and also playing cards. With the encouragement of his parents to always chase his dreams, Daniel decided school just wasn’t in the cards for him. He left high school just one credit short of graduation to focus on poker.

After cleaning up around town, Negreanu decided to head out to Las Vegas at the age of 21. You might think that was all she wrote, but it wasn’t that easy. Daniel only lasted in Vegas for several months before having to return home to Toronto. After taking some time to re-establish his bankroll, it was time to take another shot at it. He may have been broke, but his dreams weren’t shattered just yet.

World Series of Poker

In 1998, at the age of 23, Negreanu entered his first World Series of Poker and became the youngest WSOP champion ever after winning the $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em Event. Negreanu kept the title of youngest champion until 2004. He was then named the player of the year at the 2004 WSOP after he took home another bracelet and netted multiple other cashes.

In 2008 Negreanu added a fourth WSOP bracelet to his collection and came just short of his fifth the very next year by scoring one runner-up finish in Vegas and then another one in London at the WSOP Europe. Negreanu stepped down to Barry Shulman in the English capital for the Main Event title collecting a cash prize of almost half a million pounds.

Daniel Negreanu's Top 6 WSOP Results

World Poker Tour

The World Poker Tour marks two of Negreanu's biggest tournament cashes both of which he scored in 2004. First he won the Borgata Poker Open $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Final Day event in September taking home more than $1,1 million and just three months later he took down the Five-Diamond World Poker Classic $15,000 Championship event in Las Vegas for over $1,7 million. Earlier that very same year Negreanu had another big payday when he finished in the runner-up position at the PartyPoker.com Million III Limit Hold'em Cruise, $7,000 Limit-Hold'em Championship Final Day event collecting almost $700,000.

Daniel Negreanu's Top 5 WPT Results

European Poker Tour

The European soil has been relatively successful for Negreanu as well. In 2012 he scored three big EPT cashes, although one of them was achieved in the Caribbean islands. Just like in 2011 when Daniel scored one of the biggest tournament cashes of his career after finishing second in the European Poker Tour PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 Super High Roller Event. He collected a second place prize of $1 Million after loosing the heads-up match to Eugene Katchalov.

Then in 2012 he came back to the Paradise Island for some more and took home just over quarter of a million dollars after finishing in fifth place at the $100,000 Super High Roller event. Just a few months later Negreanu went to Monte Carlo for the EPT Grand Final and first final tabled the €98,500 8 Max Super High Roller Reload and then finished second in the €25,000 8 Max High Roller event just a few days later. The two events gave Negreanu's bankroll a boost of almost one million euros.

Daniel Negreanu's Top 5 EPT Results

Other Achievements

In 1999 Negreanu won the $7,500 Texas Hold'em Championship Event at the United States Poker Championship in Atlantic City for $210,000. His other notable unbranded tournament finishes include winning the Championship Poker at the Plaza in Las Vegas, $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em event for $310,000 back in 2004 and taking down the C$ 2,500 No-Limit Hold'em tournament in the British Columbia Poker Championships in Richmond for C$ 371,910 in 2008. Negreanu is also known for appearing on many TV poker shows such as Late Night Poker, Poker After Dark, and High Stakes Poker.

Sponsorship

Negreanu is a PokerStars sponsored player and a member of the site's Team Pro. He joined PokerStars in June 2007 and has been wearing team colors ever since. Not only does he represent the site in all of the major live poker tournaments around the world, but is also a regular at the PokerStars online poker tables.

Did you know?

• Daniel Negreanu runs his own poker training site PokerVT.com
• He is the highest-earning Canadian poker player of all-time
• Worked as a telemarketer for just one day and a month at a Subway