Poker has gone a long way from the dark dingy corners of clubs and casinos to a positively valid sport phenomenon in the recent years. And there is no denying that Daniel Negreanu is one of the biggest poker players in the game today; but beyond his keen eye and sharp skills with cards, who is Daniel Negreanu?
It is no secret that Negreanu burst onto the tournament poker scene in 1997 after successfully winning three tournaments, including two at the World’s Poker Finals. He was also named the tournament’s best all-around player. Born to Parents who fled from Romania during the Communist regime and schooled in the pool halls and card rooms of Toronto, Canada, he originally wanted to become a professional pool player, but soon found the cards calling his name. At the sweet age of 16, he was hustling in pool halls, and this led him to drop out of high school a few credits short of a diploma. He honed his skills by playing at the local charity casinos, looking for illicit tournaments he could join.
He moved to Las Vegas at the age of 22 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional poker player. However, he was forced to return to Toronto after his unsuccessful first foray. This, however, did not dissuade him in the least; instead, he rebuilt his bank roll and broke through eventually. He is now married and currently lives in Nevada.
Negreanu is truly a phenomenal poker player and has one of the best World Series records of any player, and he has also won more money than any other player on the World Poker Tour. He earned the coveted gold bracelet at the young age of 23 back in 1998, bringing home $169,460. Four years after, he would go on to win his second bracelet after besting in the SHOE event, netting $100,440 He also finished second in the $3,000 No Limit Holdem that same year. Negreanu is an avid blogger; he posts his thoughts and feelings about different things in life, politics & the poker world .In fact, he has such strong and influential views on poker that he is often consulted on the big issues by the sports governing bodies. He also serves as an ambassador to the game, tirelessly promoting it all over the world through appearances and books. Being modest and open to sharing his gifts, he also mentors other players and appears in the poker media as a commentator and summarizer. He is also known to be a hockey fanatic. He is often seen wearing NHL jerseys of the Toronto Maple Leafs. An interesting anecdote on this is that he once claimed he almost begged off a tournament because it would fall in the middle of Hockey season.
Daniel Negreanu has also appeared on TV as himself in various reality series, National Geographics Sport Science as well as a music video of Katy Perry and X-Men Origins: Wolverine Movie. Negreanu is also a philanthropist ; aside from frequent appearances in charity events, he is also a founder of various charities in support of various causes such as war-torn Darfur . Most prominent of his projects is the Big Swing Charity golf Tournament, where proceeds go directly to charitable causes. All these things make Daniel Negreanu a celebrity worth looking up to. His achievements as the best player in the game and skills on and off the table are a sight to behold, but his philanthropic spirit remains to be one of his best qualities. You can check out his blog and view his entertaining ideas on the sport and other things. He is also active on Twitter, where you can follow him.
Related articles:
- Daniel Negreanu, Annie Duke, PokerStars and Freedom Of Speech (bleacherreport.com)
- 2010 Poker Hall of Fame ballot (mysanantonio.com)
No related posts.
[...] Negreanu tried to score higher- or at least close to the leading Blom, but Blom had already made it to the lead with $61,300 at hand 658. It is an understatement to say that Blom is running well. He can be seen to be ‘ behind in hands’ against Negreanu, but managing to be on the top. In the illustration, Blom could be seen to shove on the flop, all-in, by just using the flush draw. Negreanu, on the other hand, had flopped his top pair with the best kicker did the call. The few moves was a trip for Negreanu, but he lost a $25,604 for Blom by a single move done by mistake. [...]