Daniel Negreanu

VITALS:

Name: Daniel Negreanu
Date of Birth: July 26, 1974
Nationality: Canadian
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
WSOP Bracelets: 4
WSOP Cashes: 42
WPT Titles: 2
WPT Cashes: 18
Online Poker Room: PokerStars

PROFILE:

Daniel Negreanu’s Romanian heritage is etched across his boyish face. Born in Toronto, Canada, after his parents emigrated to create a better life for their children, Negreanu started hustling in pool halls and playing poker when he was 16. Although he had aspirations of becoming a snooker champ, it was poker that enticed the young competitor. He came to Vegas at the age of 21.

Although he was good from the start, Negreanu knew that he wasn’t good enough to last in Vegas and he worked hard to earn the chops that would make him a world-class player. In 1998, he became a huge sensation by becoming, at that time, the youngest person to win a WSOP gold bracelet by taking the $2,000 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament. Over the next few years, his tournament success continued, and he became one of the most recognized poker players on TV.

Negreanu, who is known as Kid Poker, has a quick, incisive intellect and a loose style of play. He’s able to utilize the bluff to fake out lesser players, but he often runs into trouble when he’s battling the cream of the crop. He’s a confident player who will push a hand and a bluff to the limit, which has earned him the criticism that he’s disrespectful of other competitors. But Negreanu’s technique does keep opponents second-guessing and often frustrates them, causing them to make mistakes. Additionally to his credit, he’s not brash or antagonistic; he’s known for being polite and friendly both at and away from the table.

Negreanu lives in Las Vegas and is a member of Team Poker Stars. He is divorced from his former wife, Lori Lin Weber, and currently single. They were married in August 2007. The marriage lasted a little over two years.