GG Poker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu Prepares for the 2024 World Series of Poker (2024)

GG Poker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu Prepares for the 2024 World Series of Poker

Daniel Negreanu is one of the most recognisable poker players in the world. He has been the face of several online poker sites during his extended career at the poker tables, during which time he has captured six World Series of Poker bracelets. However it has been over a decade since he claimed his last one and he is hungry to return to the winner’s circle at the 2024 WSOP.

Since 2017 Daniel has released a daily WSOP vlog, in which he fully documents in his journey through the series, recording the highs and lows, He gives viewers a sneak peak of life at home with his dogs and his wife Amanda and he shares his thoughts on vegan food, ice hockey and just about any subject that passes through his transom.

Following his poor showing at the 2023 WSOP, the GG Poker ambassador vowed to make changes to his recent approach to the game and unlike in previous years, he won’t be playing everything this time. PokerWired takes a look at Negreanu’s record at the series and how he is preparing for his assault on the 55th Annual World Series of Poker in his quest for his seventh bracelet. This includes selling some action, launching his 2024 vlog, chooisng a team at the WSOP Fantasy draft and getting his bowels checked out.

Daniel Negreanu has participated in the WSOP every year since 1998, when he enjoyed early success, capturing his first WSOP bracelet at this series, in a $2,000 Pot Limit Hold’em event. During these early years he was one of the younger players in a game that was dominated by experience rather than youth. His prowess at the tables was noted by his peers and he was given the nickname ‘Kid Poker,’ due to being one of the youngest players in the high stakes games that he quickly progressed to.

During his 26 years at the WSOP, the year 2000 remains the only year he has ever drawn a blank at the tables. As of January 2024 Negreanu has cashed 169 times at the WSOP, more than anyone else except Phil Hellmuth Jr (176 cashes) and Roland Israelashvili (172 cashes). This incredible record includes 59 top ten finishes and six bracelets. He is also second in total prize money won at the WSOP, having pocketed over $20m in his career, just over $1m, behind Antonio Esfandiari.

Although Daniel Negreanu has just six bracelets, it could have been so many more, as he finished in the runner up spot ten times, including the biggest cash of his career, when he won over $8m at the $1m buy-in Big One For One Drop event at the 2014 WSOP. His second biggest WSOP cash also came from a runner up spot, in 2019 in the $100,000 High Roller event. He also has eight 3rd place results.

Speaking of Daniel Negreanu’s vlog, this is something that he has done every year since 2017 and consists of a well-produced and edited daily video diary. It charts Negreanu’s journey through the world series, exposing the highs and the lows as he battles for bracelet number seven. It also shows Daniel relaxing at home and revealing his thoughts on poker hands he had played during breaks in play. He’s not shy to show the failures as well and some years the bankroll counter dips seven figures into the red.

The vlog also depicts Daniel’s life off the felt, with time at home with his wife and pet dogs. He has a penchant for discussing vegan food and ice hockey as well and while these topics might not be everyone’s taste, this where the skip forward 10 seconds button on Youtube comes into its own. You might have to hit it a fair few times when he gets going about hockey, as those segments can last up to 2 minutes.

A nice feature that Daniel could add to his vlog would be perhaps an image of a hockey stick in the corner whenever he’s speaking about hockey, or maybe a broccoli for when he’s chatting about vegan food. This way anyone who’s repeatedly hitting the fast forward button on Youtube will easily know when those sections are over and it’s safe to watch normally again.

The show is good natured and has light hearted moments, not least from Allen Kessler, who makes a cameo appearance in most episodes in a segment called “What’s Bothering You Today Allen?” In this section of the show Daniel approaches famed poker moaner Allen Kessler and asks him ‘what’s bothering you today, Allen?” to which Kessler will respond with some tale of daily misery, usually related to blind structures, the price of fast food or some other trivial, but often hilarious matter. In a pre-WSOP clip on Twitter that Daniel shared, viewers recently got a taste of the comedy gold that Kessler is known for, when he discovered a great deal on Reese’s cups.

When the WSOP was held at the Rio, Daniel used to park a luxury motorhome in the parking lot, just a few minutes walk from the tables. He would retreat there during breaks and in-between tournaments and it would be where a lot of the vlog would be filmed. However now that the World Series of Poker has moved to the Horseshoe on the Strip, a motorhome is no longer an option for Daniel, as there’s simply nowhere close enough that he could park it.

His new solution is to rent a small utility room at the casino, in which he has a sofa and a coffee machine, to which he can retreat for a rest during breaks and use to record his vlog. Whether this remains as Negreanu’s set up for the 2024 WSOP remains to be seen, but as a creature of habit, it is expected to be the same.

Although his nickname is ‘KidPoker,’ Daniel Negreanu is now in his forties and not far off being eligible to play in seniors events. Like all men beyond a certain age, it’s a good idea to get your bowels checked every few years and this is done via a procedure called a colonoscopy. To prepare for the procedure you have to flush out your bowels by drinking vast quantities of a foul tasting liquid. Once you go into the theatre, an anaesthetist zonks you out while the colonoscopy takes place. The purpose of it is to check for any signs of cancer or other ailments that can affect the bowels.

With the sh*ts n giggles out of the way, Daniel is now all-set for the 55th Annual World Series of Poker and can concentrate on shooting for that elusive seventh bracelet.

With all the preparations nearly complete there is one more thing that Daniel needs to do before he takes his first seat at the WSOP poker tables. And that is connect with his fans, which he will be doing via an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on GG Poker's Reddit Channel on Thursday May 23rd at 19.00 (UTC).