Everybody loves Daniel Negreanu! Young, good looking, talented and popular, he is the poster boy for poker around the world. He was nicknamed “KidPoker” in 1998 – when he became the youngest WSOP bracelet winner so far at the age of 24 – and to this day he shows no signs of slowing down. With his own books, software, a syndicated column, a blog, an online video diary and an instructional poker video site, Negreanu has brought poker into the 21st century and made it friendly and attractive for everyone.
The son of Romanian immigrants, Negreanu always dreamed of an unconventional career before discovering his talent for poker at age 16. He dropped out of high school with just one credit to go, and dedicated himself to improving his poker. It was not easy: he built a bankroll in Toronto only to lose it in Vegas, go back and start again.
In 1997 he finally broke through at the Foxwoods World Poker Finals, which allowed him to enter the WSOP the following year and win his first event. As any hot young star making money in spades, he went off the tracks for a year or so, but found his focus again and went on a roll that ended in two Player of the Year titles in 2004 (WSOP and Card Player magazine). The unstoppable Negreanu has made over $10,100,000 in tournaments: he is the third highest tournament earner in the world, and the first one among players who have not won the WSOP Main Event. He is also the top money winner in the WPT.
An eternal youth, Negreanu’s lifestyle consists mainly of video games, golf and poker and he appears often on the Fox Network, MTV and ESPN. But don’t write him off as a shallow, wealthy celebrity: Negreanu always finds time to greet fans warmly, and he places a high importance on friends and family. He is a vegan since 2003, and his mother makes him vegan packed meals to take into tourneys. The bubbly Negreanu was married to Lori Lin Weber for 2 years, but they have split amicably and are currently separated.
Negreanu’s game analysis (by Barry Greenstein):
- Aggressiveness: 7
- Looseness: 7
- Short-handed: 8
- Limit: 8
- No-limit: 8
- Tournaments: 9
- Side games: 7
- Steam control: 5
- Against weak players: 8
- Against strong players: 7
Click here for Daniel Negreanu’s interview with Poker News Daily.