'Kid Poker' is No Longer a Kid

Daniel Negreanu, a serious poker player for the last 15 years, after he first moved to Las Vegas got in the same experience as many other young players ending with a busted bankroll, so that he was forced to return in his native town, Toronto and start all over again. About this experience Mr. Negreanu says "I was basically a young bull. Push, push, push, push, push. That's all I had. I had no texture and no finesse in my game."


Negreanu Fast Facts
Nickname: Kid Poker
Residence: Las Vegas, Nev.
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
Birth date: July 26, 1974
Education: Dropped out of High School
WSOP Bracelets: 3
WPT Titles: 2
Started Playing Poker: 17 years old
Room Affiliations: FullContactPoker.com

Major Tournament Wins
* $2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em, 1998 WSOP
* $7,500 Championship No Limit Hold'em Event, 1999 U.S. Poker Championship
* $2,000 S.H.O.E., 2003 WSOP
* $2,000 Limit Hold'em, 2004 WSOP
* $10,000 No Limit Hold'em, 2004 Championship Poker at the Plaza
* $10,000 No Limit Hold'em, 2004 Bogota Poker Open (WPT)
* $15,000 No Limit Hold'em, Five Diamond World Poker Classic (WPT)
* $10,000 No Limit Hold'em, 2006 Jack Binion WSOP Circuit Event


Daniel Negreanu decided to learn from his experience and soon he learned how to read players and shift gears. In 1998, he returned to Vegas and at only 24 years old he was the youngest player to win a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, a mark he held until 2004.

This moth “Kid Poker” will celebrate his first anniversary with his wife Lori at the age of 32. The days when he had to worry about his bankroll are long gone, now he is a famous poker payer with endorsement deals for an online poker room, a video game released earlier this summer, and a book coming out this fall, Negreanu's future is secure.

Kid Poker became a household name after dominating the 2004 WSOP, earning a spot at five final tables and claiming a bracelet in a Limit Hold'em event. After a rough 2005 in which Negreanu cashed in only two World Series events for just over $10,000, he is one of just two players to make two final tables through the first eight WSOP events this year. Add to that a second place finish at the Tournament of Champions contested at the beginning of the series, and Negreanu appears to be back in the form that helped him win the ESPN/Toyota Player of the Year award in 2004.

Even though he holds the record for most money won in tournaments, claiming over $8 million in career tournament earnings, Negreanu prefers playing in the "Big Game," a $2,000 / $4,000 mixed game at the Bellagio.

Kid Poker explains his preferences "Frankly, I like playing for millions. In the Big Game you can win or lose a million in a night. You play the tournaments, $10,000 buy-in, it takes five days to get (to the final table) and first prize is $1 million. I could win that in a night. I prefer playing in the high-stakes game."

Negreanu continues to be a tournament regular, and he is worried about the direction tournament poker has taken. The broadcast of tournaments on ESPN and the Travel Channel has greatly increased the popularity of poker, but Negreanu is concerned that the only game to be found is No Limit Hold'em.

"When corporate people get involved, they don't understand how poker works," Negreanu says. "You destroy what poker is; poker isn't just No Limit Hold'em. Poker has many facets; there are many different forms of poker that are all fun and interesting."

"For (poker) to stay hot, we have to have things like the NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship. We need different types of events with different types of formats to keep the audience interest sharp”, commented Negreanu.

Negreanu colaborated with WSOP organizers to add the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament to this year's schedule, and has also organized a heads-up league on the online poker room he endorses, FullContactPoker.com (FCP), with a schedule similar to an NFL season schedule.

Negreanu seems to have struck a chord with the poker playing public. His comments often spark a lively debate on the FCP message boards, where more than 9,000 users have posted a message in the last year.

Negreanu's popularity is in part a result of his behavior at the table. One of the jolliest players on the circuit, Negreanu often jokes with other players and is rarely seen without a smile at the table.

"It's fun, it's what I do for a living, and it's great. I'm going to enjoy it; I'm going to have fun with it. Frankly, what you see on TV is probably a little bit more toned down than anything. It really is, because I don't want people to think that I'm playing up for the cameras. But really, when the cameras are off, I'm about as goofy as they come", said Negreanu.