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 Daniel
Negreanu is one of the most familiar faces in poker and rightfully so. His success is enormous, his talent is unrivaled and his personality is unforgettable.
In 2004, Daniel won Cardplayer Magazine's Tournament Player of the Year award and the World Series of Poker's Player of the Year award. His tournament
winnings in 2004 alone were over $4,400,000. Many people (including myself) think Daniel is one of the best in the game. He might have the talent and natural
gift of playing poker, but he also works hard; harder than almost anybody in the game.
The first times I ran into Daniel Negreanu I honestly didn't know what to think of him. My first impression was that he was
one of the most congenial players I have come across. I later changed my mind and figured that he had to be fake because
nobody that was genuine could have a smile on his face every time I saw him. I kept the latter opinion until it dawned on me...
nobody that speaks his mind the way he does could be a fake. I have read many posts on RGP by Daniel. Many times, people get
offended by what he says. I always take it for what it is; a man willing to speak up for what he believes in. I am not saying
I agree with everything he has written, but it is refreshing to see a person speak their mind regardless of what others think.
Although I ran into Daniel Negreanu several times, I was never been able to sit down and have an in-depth conversation
about poker with him. I am fortunate to be able to discuss poker with him via the Internet. One of the first things I was
interested in knowing was which player of the year award meant more to him. His response was, "It's so hard to say
because both are very valuable in very different ways. The WSOP title was something I'd focused really hard on and gave
it my all to win. To come through after a grueling month of poker was an awesome feeling. With the POY it was different.
I didn't think at the beginning of the year I had any chance. I'd already decided to play the big cash games and only the
big tournaments. Halfway through the year, I realized I actually had a shot to win the thing. I led for most of the way
but David Pham passed me with one tournament remaining for me to win that title. Only problem is I'd have to fight through
376 players to do it. I love the pressure though, and with my back against the wall not only did I regain the #1 yearly
ranking, but I also won the tournament and a cool $1.8 million. So they are both special for very different reasons, which
makes yourquestion impossible to answer!"
 I
then asked him what it was like knowing he had to pull off a miracle during the last Bellagio event to win the Cardplayer
award and if it was extra rewarding because of the close race. He went on to explain, "I'm kind of a sicko in that
sense. When David passed me with one event left I was like, 'Cool. Pressure's on.' If I'm not challenged I'm a worthless
poker player. If I don't play in high pressure situations I often become lazy and am totally void of focus. Picture playing
chess with someone that you NEVER lost to; wouldn't that get boring after a while? I enjoy the thrill of victory, but without
the agony of defeat it is definitely less rewarding."
I love watching Daniel play No Limit Holdem because of his great understanding of the game. He understands that it is
not about the cards, but about the situations and playing the players. I wanted to know what kind of an edge he had by
understanding both of these things. His reply was, "I think if there was one attribute I possess that rivals all other
players, it would be my play AFTER the flop.In deep stack tournaments playing the right starting cards is so much less
important than making crucial decisions throughout the hand. I focus more on the post flop rather than worrying about what
cards I start with. Hey, I'm just not embarrassed turning over the 2-5 of clubs!"
As I stated earlier, I respect Daniel Negreanu for his ability to speak his mind. I asked him if he gets himself into
trouble because of it or if he ever asks himself, "Why didn't I keep my mouth shut in this situation?" His answer
was, "I can't say that I'm proud of everything I've said or done in my past, but that doesn't mean I would want to change
any of it. I have no regrets because I genuinely feel like all of the things I've done in my past have helped me learn to be
a better person. Without those 'mistakes' I may have not learned valuable lessons that have helped me become a happy person."
The last thing I discussed with Daniel was players that he respects. I, and probably 90% of the poker community, already know that
Jennifer Harman would be at the top of his
list, but it was interesting to hear that he thinks as much of
Phil Ivey as I do. His reply to my question was,
"There are so many people I respect in the poker world and they all have similar attributes: excellent players who
are also genuinely good people and treat others well. Phil Ivey is an awesome talent and is well grounded at the same time.
Jennifer Harman plays in the biggest cash games in the world on a regular basis and wins. She wears her emotions on her
sleeve, so when she's pissed you'll hear about it! I respect Phil for his dedicated focus, and Jennifer for making it to
the top of a 'man's world' despite all of the obstacles she's had to face in her life, including twice going through kidney
failure and facing death."
At the bottom of an e-mail he sent me, he added a comment. A comment that we all should listen to and learn from:
"With poker's explosion, poker players are now in a position to finally make some residual income for being good at
what they do. I've been approached with several different offers over the past year and plan on doing more and more to
help promote poker. I'm a poker fan first and a player second. I'd like to see poker's popularity continue to grow and
will do everything I can to help protect the integrity and image of the game."
Daniel's tournament successes are many. His World Series and World Poker Tour achievements include three WSOP bracelets,
including one from the 2004 Limit Holdem event, the 2003 SHOE event and the 1998 Pot Limit Holdem event. His World Poker
Tour credits include first in the Borgata event 2004, third in the
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, second in the
Party Poker Million and first in
the Bellagio Five Diamond event, which made him the WPT's leading money winner at the time.
Daniel is a member of the Team Pokerstars group of players.
Daniel Negreanu: English,
German,
French,
Spanish,
Italian,
Norwegian,
Swedish,
Portuguese,
Dutch and
Danish
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