Poker Player - Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu is another colourful personality on the professional Poker circuit, cut quite clearly against the grain of any standard definition of "Poker Faced"! Daniel was born on July 26th 1974 from Romanian stock. His parents, Annie and Constantin immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1967 and the family surname is pronounced "Neh-grah-nu".
At the tender age of 21, Daniel already dreamed of being a professional poker player, and moved to Las Vegas, where the bright lights of the Strip only fuelled him in his pursuit of hitting the big time in the world of poker. The start was not easy however, and after being defeated several times, his bankroll was gone, and he moved back to Toronto. In 1997 however, Daniel had made it to the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, and was awarded the title of Best All-Round Player. By 1998, he was 23 years old, and highly visible on the professional field, winning the title of "Youngest World Series of Poker Champion", a title that he did not relinquish until 2004, aged 30.
Still known as "Kid Poker", his nickname is derived not only from his youth, but also his style. He is vivacious, animated, and passionate about the game, seemingly wearing a permanent smile. And it could be said that his success rate gives him a lot to smile about. His total winnings in 2004 alone topped $4.4 million, after reaching the final tables of 11 tournaments, taking first place in 2 World Poker Tour events and achieving a third WSOP bracelet for Limit Hold'em poker. At the end of 2004, it was clear that Daniel Negreanu was arguably the best Poker Tournament player in the World.
But first and foremost, Daniel's passions lay not with winning vast sums of money, or playing in high profile tournaments, but the heart of poker itself. For Daniel, Poker is a sport, an art and a career. He is of a new breed of player that expresses a passion for the game, and wants to drive the Poker world into a bright future of respectability, visibility and professionalism. He says "I'd like to continue to usher in a new era of Poker throughout the world. The old image of poker's smoky rooms and questionable ethics has been replaced by a new generation of poker players who take our sport seriously. Most of these pros are my friends, and although we compete seriously, we really enjoy competing against each other, and respect each other. We are committed to the fun, excitement and personal challenge of poker."
Daniel has openly said that for him, he is a poker fan first and poker player second. The integrity and profile of the game is more important to him than winning. It is perhaps for this reason that he has worked so hard to increase poker's popularity. He has his own website www.fullcontactpoker.com and works as a tutor on www.pokerschoolonline.com. He is a prolific writer of poker articles including regular contributions to Card Player Magazine and appearances on ESPN and the Fox Sports Network. On his website, he provides tips on playing, information on the poker community, and has a well read and sometimes controversial blog on his website, where he covers many topics from tournaments, to the rumours regarding his personal reputation.
Daniel Negreanu grew up in the world of Nintendo's and the World Wide Web, but his love for Poker as a profession and a sport is bringing the game to many new generations. His coaching of celebrities like the actor Toby Maguire continues to raise the world of poker into the limelight. His skilful tournament playing and stunning earnings can only add lustre and glamour to the game, and it is with no doubt that with the force of Daniel Negreanu behind it, Poker can only evolve further from the shadow of casinos into a world class sports enterprise.
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