Since he first played poker at the age of 15, Canadian-born Daniel Negreanu realized that he had a knack for gambling, for reading his opponents and for picking the right spot to make a move. In fact, he was so confident that he dropped out of college at the age of 21 and moved to Las Vegas to pursue life as a poker pro. Today, at the age of 35, he is one of the most famous poker stars on the circuit, holding total poker tournament winnings somewhere around $15,000,000, with 25 first place finishes, four World Series of Poker bracelets, and acting as mentor to a whole new generation of poker players.
Since growing up in Toronto with Romanian parents who had fled the Communist regime of 1967, Negreanu stumbled into an unconventional career path. He learned poker while spending time in pool halls to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional snooker player, and then he rounded his way around the city before packing up his bankroll and heading down to Las Vegas.
In 1997 he won two events at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods before becoming the youngest Word Series of Poker bracelet winner in history, a title he held until 2004. Over the next few years he became one of the most successful live poker tournament players, winning two WPT events, another three World Series of Poker bracelets, and appearing at 12 final tables.
On Negreanu’s official site, Full Contact Poker, the poker pro nicknamed Kid Poker blogs about his experience and even plays in the poker rooms under this nickname. In 2007 he signed with PokerStars along with many other professional poker players. In May 2008 Negreanu released a poker book called ‘Power Hold’em Strategy.’ He also started a poker teaching site called Poker VT and is featured in the poker video game Stacked with Daniel Negreanu, where he provides tips and hints on how to play effectively.
As of October 2009, Kid Poker’s total live poker tournament winnings are recorded at $12,427,047, putting him first on the all time money list. Today he is one of the recognizable poker stars in the world and the inspiration for not only many of the current young poker players, but the next generation as well.
