Poker player profile
Date of birth
26/07/1974Name
Daniel NegreanuPseudonym
KidPokerNationality
CanadaPlace of residence
United States of America
See him live
Biography and performances
This player has been making world poker news for twenty years. Sometimes rain, sometimes shine. Sometimes on a stroke of genius, sometimes on a stroke of blood. A figurehead of poker, a player of inestimable influence, both adored and controversial, Daniel Negreanu is whether we like it or not, one of the game's greatest legends.
The rise of Kid Poker
It all started in Toronto. Born into an immigrant family from Romania, Daniel seems to have little interest in school. From a very young age, he frequented pool circles and became interested in betting and card games. After building up a bankroll, he tried the Vegas adventure, ruined himself in the Strip casinos and returned to Toronto... to build up a new bankroll. The second attempt proved to be the right one.
A rather talkative type, Daniel Negreanu is known for his ability to read his opponents' tells. His knowledge of the game and growing experience enable him to get the better of his opponents both technically and mentally. The Canadian began to rack up a string of victories. In 2004, he put the brakes on, with two WPT victories, a third WSOP bracelet, rewarded with more than $4 million in winnings and the "Card Player Magazine" title of best player of the year.
The darling of world poker
The successes followed one another with astonishing regularity, and his notoriety climbed as fast as his winnings. In 2007, he joined Team Pokerstars and gradually established himself as an ambassador for world poker. He contributes to numerous strategy books and poker media, and comments on the Ultimate Poker Challenge programme. He appears on the biggest TV poker shows and even makes film appearances, notably in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In recent years, he has multiplied his VLOGs, sharing his routine and lifestyle during the festivals he plays in Las Vegas or Rozvadov, for partner media or his own networks.
Success and controversy
Always very active at the tables, he has accumulated more than $43 million in Live winnings, the third-highest total in history, after holding first place for a long time in the mid-2010s. His big performances logically coincide with big buy-ins. In particular, he won the 2013 WSOPE High Roller at Einghien Les Bains for almost a million dollars, the WSOP Aussie Million that same year, for a slightly higher sum, finished 2nd in the 2019 WSOP High Roller, for 1.7 million or still finished 2nd in the Big One for One Drop, for 8.2 million dollars, the biggest win of his career.
Adulated by many fans, Negreanu is also criticised by part of the public and by some players, who do not appreciate his behaviour at the tables or his position as spokesman. His best enemy, Doug Polk, challenged him to a heads-up game of more than 25,000 hands at the 2020 event. The Canadian walked away with $1.2 million.
Poker videos Daniel Negreanu
