Having come of age in the pool halls of Toronto, poker superstar Daniel Negreanu originally had aspirations of being a professional snooker player. In this kind of environment, he was never too far away from a card game and eventually become intrigued enough to play himself. He moved to Las Vegas soon after and hasn’t looked back since.
Over the last two years one player has come to the forefront of televised poker in a way few others have managed. And with his happy-go-Lucky manner and goofball table antics, which are coupled with an uncanny poker sixth sense, Daniel 'Kid Poker' Daniel Negreanu doesn't look like he's going anywhere fast. In fact, as readers of his blog at fullcontactpoker.com will know, he has fully capitalised on his successes, which include being named the 2004 CardPlayer Magazine Player of the Year, 2004 Champion Player of the Year, 2004 ESPN Player of the Year, and 2004-2005 and World Poker Tour Player of the Year.
Born July 26 1974, Negreanu discovered he had a gift for betting, pool, and poker at an early age. His parents, Annie and Constantin, moved from Romania in 1967 and always encouraged their two sons to chase their dreams. Heeding this advice, Negreanu left high school one credit short of graduation and sought out poker games where he built his bankroll by regularly beating adults twice his age.
At 21, he moved to Las Vegas to pursue professional poker full-time. The Strip provided stiff competition and shortly after moving he was dealt several defeats that forced him to return to Toronto and re-establish his bankroll. In 1997 however, his luck changed at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods where he was named the tournaament's best all-around player. In 1998, he eamed the title of World Series of Poker (WSOP) youngest champion; a designation he held until 2004. That same year, he made 11 final toumament tables, won two World Poker Tour events, and won his third World Series of Poker bracelet in Limit Hold'em. Last year alone, his total winnings topped $4.4 million dollars.
Consistently winning since the age of 23, Negreanu exudes the confiidence of a new generation of poker players, who were raised on video games, the Intenet and MTV and are committed to poker as a sporting competition. Daniel 'Kid Poker' Negrenau is one of the most highly visible young poker stars, appearing regularly on the Fox Sports network and ESPN and offering his expertise as a poker author.
Daniel 'Kid Poker' Negreanu has a fun-loving and social style and embraces poker's new image as a clean, competitive sport. He is also leading voice within the upcoming generation of pro poker players and frequently speaks his mind about a variety of issues, from the biggest cash games in the World, which he participates in regularly, to the fair treatment of players in the modem showbiz poker world, to love and religion, both of which found him recently and have only strengthened his position as a force to be reckoned with in the poker world.
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