The Master of Intuition
Few poker players don’t know the name Daniel Negreanu. The 32-year old poker player has done a lot for poker over the last few years, and is also the biggest winning tournament player of all time. He is greatly respected among both the older and the younger generation of players, and has to put up with writing numerous autographs and posing for thousands of photos every time he enters a tournament.
Daniel Negreanu is by many considered to be one of the greatest poker players in the world, maybe even the greatest player ever. His ability to read the game is his greatest strength. The Canadian is renowned for his relaxed and friendly demeanor around the felt, and in life in general. Negreanu plays in the biggest cash game in Vegas, «The Big Game». He does very well here, in spite of facing some of the best players in the world. Names like Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, Chip Reese, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Barry Greenstein – all players most people fear. Negreanu, however, thrives in their company. Like most great poker players, Negreanu is competitive, and beating the greatest players is a lot more interesting than winning a lot of money.
With his innocent looks and small body frame, Negreanu kind of looks like a kid. This is also how he got his nickname, Kid Poker. But you shouldn’t be fooled: Daniel is a highly aggressive poker player who is feared by everyone who’s ever faced him. You need only look at his results these past few years to see that he knows how to play cards: Three WSOP gold bracelets, two WPT titles, named player of the year by both CardPlayer Magazine and ESPN. He was also awarded WPT Player of the Year 2004/2005.
The Road to Success
Daniel Negreanu was born in 1974. His family is originally from Romania, and his parents moved to Canada in 1967. Daniel was always encouraged to pursue his dreams, so he was able to develop his early interest in odds, pool and most importantly, poker. He started seeking out poker games when he was 18. In school he would arrange a regular poker game at recess, and at night he would arrange games at his house. And from arranging these private sessions, the young Daniel moved on to one of Toronto’s underground clubs. He played for small amounts of money, and was, for the most part, broke. But soon Negreanu’s luck changed, and he started winning. – I was playing this regular game where the others would laugh at me for folding pre flop.
Not so strange then, maybe, that Negreanu quickly built a bankroll. Las Vegas was next for the aspiring poker hero. In the beginning his trips to the Mecca of gambling brought nothing but big losses, but Negreanu slowly realized how to improve his game. – Realizing the importance of being the dominating player at the table was the most important factor, Negreanu says.
So three years later Negreanu moved to Vegas to pursue his dream of becoming a full time poker pro. But it seemed it was more difficult to make money than he’d first thought. He had to admit that he wasn’t ready, and moved back to Toronto to rebuild his bankroll.
And then in 1998 he won his first big tournament, in the World Series of Poker. He was only 23 years old, and became the youngest player ever to win a WSOP gold bracelet, a record that remained until 2004. Ironically, 2004 turned out to be the best year of Negreanu’s tournament career. That was the year he won his two WPTs and his third WSOP tournament, and had a total of 11 final tables in major tournaments.
Plays With the Best
In 1998, Negreanu established himself as one of the best players on medium limits. Back then a lot of young players were making a name for themselves. Phil Ivey, Alan Cunningham, John Juanda and Daniel Negreanu were all in the same boat, and they started hanging out, discussing poker theory and benefiting from each others’ successes. But alongside all the money came more partying, and the money soon seemed to lose its value. In 2000 Negreanu went pretty much completely broke, and made a stake deal with his friend and mentor Ted Forrest. This helped Negreanu’s game a lot, and also put an end to the crazy nightlife. One year later Negreanu was one of the most winning players in the higher stakes, like 300–600 and 1,000–2,000. But he still hadn’t quite made it as a tournament player. That didn’t happen until 2003, the same year he met his now wife Lori. – It wasn’t until I could play poker, knowing that I wasn’t playing just for myself, that I really could focus 100 percent on winning, Negreanu says and pulls out a picture of his lovely wife. In 2003 he won more than $500,000 in tournaments, after making it to three final tables at the WSOP, among other achievements. So this was a good year for the poker kid, but it wasn’t until the year after the rest of the poker world would take real notice. With five final tables at the WSOP he went on to top the ranking of best overall player during the championships. But it would be the WPT that brought him the real money. Making it to the top three four times, two of them wins, he could cash in more than $4 million. This was also the year he was awarded the title of poker player of the year by CardPlayer Magazine.
Why do you think you’ve made it as a poker player? – I guess you could say that I’m a bit of a gambler, so I don’t fear the money.
But he’s not just a good gambler, he is also very serious about the analytical part of poker, and he will use any mean necessary to gain a better understanding of the game. – It’s important to keep track. Today there are tons of books, articles and games available. When I started playing only a fraction of this was available. So I’m always on the lookout for new places to learn from.
One of Negreanu’s most important tools of learning has been studying poker on video. – The best players in the world will face each other quite often, so it’s important to have any advantage available to succeed. One of these advantages would be to know how they tend to play a final table, so I study videos.
You usually play opposite some of the greatest players in the world in the highest cash game in Vegas. There are easier games to win, why do you always play with the best? – Not all great players are alike; they have different strengths and weaknesses. When I play this game it’s all about exploiting my opponents’ weaknesses. Also, we play ten different games, and those who excel in one game, don’t necessarily excel in the other games. So it’s really all about finding out who’s weak in which game, and then take maximum advantage of this. When you reach a certain level in poker most players will have an understanding of the mathematical aspect of the game. Then the advantage will be with the player with a better understanding of the psychological aspects.
Do you have any favorite players who aren’t that famous yet? – John Hannigan. He’s a very good player when he’s focused, and he cares. He plays on a different level sometimes, and few people realize how good he really is. Other players who play like that are Phil Ivey and Gus Hansen.
High Stakes
When the TV network HBN started a series following a high stakes poker team from one of the Las Vegas casinos, Daniel Negreanu was one of the first asked if he wanted to participate. Negreanu didn’t hesitate to join the show when he heard it would be a No-limit game with $300-$600 blinds and a $100 ante. Most of the participants bought in at around $100,000, but Negreanu bought in at $1,000,000, which made him the natural centre of the group, and a kind of leader. The game was four days long at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas, and Negreanu played all the hours at the table and impressed with his well-timed bluffs and good calls. – It was a lot of fun. I got to play poker with the best, and I soon realized I wouldn’t make an easy profit. Unfortunately I didn’t win a lot of money, but I played better than ever and apart from that it’s really all down to luck. The series showed you could lose even playing close to perfect poker. But I think that if the team were to meet every week, I would have crushed the other players. I fear none of my opponents. If they’re good, it’s just a challenge. If they’re weak, I just say «Yum, let’s play!». But if I could eliminate one player from the line up, I would pick Ted Forrest. He’s a little ahead of the others, and I never really nailed him at the table.
Another high profile player at the game was Phil Hellmuth. When he entered the room, Negreanu said «yum yum». So you don’t think Hellmuth is a very good player? – He is one of the very best tournament players in the world, but Phil is just not that comfortable playing high cash games. His style is tuned to tournament poker, a game of rising blinds. This high stakes game was real poker, however, and tournament strategies will do you no good. We wanted to see more flops than he did, and most of the money is found from the flop on out. From the tournaments, Phil is used to the chips coming on pre flop. And when you’re up against a player like Phil it’s important to always push the right buttons. He gets mad real easily, so I need to tease him a little all the time.
What mental talents should a good poker player possess? – It’s weird, I know, but the ability to look on money as a tool instead of real money is actually the most important thing a poker player can learn. You can’t sit and do the math to see what the monetary values of the different pots are, that’s just going to drive you crazy. A lot of poker players spend a lot of money, because they really never understood the value of money. But of course, life as a poker player can be hard. I know, after years of hard partying.
This is why Negreanu has now settled down and married his beloved Lori. Has it turned you from party animal to couch potato? – Not quite, but I clearly have a different focus now. When I play, I now think more of security, and I pick my opponents more carefully than I used to.
Online Poker
With the enormous growth of players on the Internet, what group of players do you see dominating the sport in the years to come? – I think the younger Internet generation will change the poker style. It’s important to keep up with the evolution of the game, and I see older players not being able to handle that all the time.
Negreanu has realized that more and more players emerge from the Internet, so the 32 year old devotes a lot of time to get to know poker online. This way he’s more prepared when he meets them live. – The players who dominated the game in the 80s and 90s think they know all there is to know about poker, but the game is changing, and it’s important to keep up with that. You don’t want to lose your edge, Negreanu says.
What do you think about the difference between reading you opponents live and reading them online? – Well, you can’t look for tells online, but you try to figure your opponents out by looking at the number of hands they play, and how they play them. People talk a lot about getting tells on your opponents, but it’s the ability to put them on to the right hand that’s the most important thing about reading your opponents. So it’s also important to play different styles, to make it difficult for them to read you.
You face a lot of players who qualified through the Internet, like during the WSOP. Do you change your style when you play them? – For the most part my style is the same, but I try to bluff less. They call more often, so it’s important to value bet more. Basically just keep it simple, the sophisticated moves have little effect on them. Poker is the new wave, people of all ages, shapes, cultural backgrounds and both genders can play, and everyone is just as likely as the next one to succeed. There’s also a lot of money involved, so more and more people try to go pro. But it’s harder than people seem to think, and it takes a lot of discipline and self-control. In the next few years we will see that the growth of the game will settle, and fewer weaker players will make it harder to succeed in the game. So it’s always important to study poker and reinvent yourself, and to discuss and watch the game, Negreanu says before turning the conversation back to live poker.
Reading The Opponents
– I think I made most of my money with my ability to read the game, Negreanu says. One of the most important tools he uses, is simply conversation. He tries to get to know the new players by chatting with them at the table. – Even in a very short amount of time, I can learn a lot about my opponents. I learn what they do for a living, how much poker they have played, if they have any results. If I know everything about you and understand how your mind works, the cards don’t really matter any more. I’m going to win no matter what.
Daniel Negreanu is a people person, and he is very candid about wanting people to have a good time at the poker table, rather than just sitting there like statues. – I like having fun, and I love talking to my opponents, and not just because of the information they give me that will help me in my game. Dead serious players are just boring, and that’s not good for the sport of poker either.
Negreanu always makes time for anyone who wants to talk to him. He also does a lot for the game of poker in general, and always has projects on the side of playing.
Working For Poker
– I do a lot for poker, yes. I think the reason why I’m generous with my time is that my parents always taught me to be kind and to share the goods.
In your weekly blog you make sure that people all over the world get a look at how you play poker. Do you think twice about sharing as much as you do? – I write a lot, yea, but I don’t share all my thoughts on poker. It’s important to share a little with the readers, but I also keep a few tricks to myself. I’ve learned from my mistakes, so with my blogs I try to give something back to the aspiring players. It’s a good thing if others can learn from my mistakes, and it only costs my a few minutes of my time. Doyle Brunson once wrote what has become almost a bible for poker players, Super System. The players of today read blogs in addition to books.
Daniel Negreanu’s blog on fullcontactpoker.com is one of the most popular poker blogs. Are you the new Doyle Brunson? – I’m kind of the bridge between Brunson’s generation and the new Internet generation. I have one foot on each side, so I can communicate well with both. I do a lot of work for poker, and in a decade or two I might reach the position Brunson has today.
Advice For New Players
How do you think poker should be played? – What has worked for me is calling pre flop more than other players. I can do this because I have faith in my abilities to play any flop. It’s more important to play position and opposition than it is to play the strength of your hand. It’s also smart to be the aggressive one.
You usually listen to music in the beginning of a tournament. Any specific kind of music? – This is going to sound strange, but lately I’ve listened to a lot of massage music. You know, the sound of waves, birds, the jungle etc. It’s important for me to listen to quiet music in order to forget about it and only use it as a tool to prevent boredom. Music helps me get through any boring part of a tournament.
Negreanu tries to keep his game within a structure: – Poker is my job, and so I need to be as serious as possible about it. That includes not partying before a tournament, I try to stay in shape and I eat right.
His other hobbies include hockey, writing and golf. He loves having fun, and is a very outgoing person. And he enjoys the fact that poker is now accepted as a sport.
As Negreanu hurries to make a taping of a poker show, we wish him the best of luck in the future.
