Daniel Negreanu Professional Profile

Daniel "The Guy with the Impossible-to-Spell Last Name" Negreanu is one of the most accomplished and well-liked poker celebrities in the world. His calm, laid back manner endears him to his fans while his aggressive style keeps his opponents on their toes. He's a die-hard vegan in an industry famous for its excesses. In short, he's a nice guy but a tough opponent.

He was born in Toronto to two Romanian immigrants who moved to the West to give their children a better life. Even at a young age, it was already pretty clear that Daniel had the gambling blood in his veins. He was already pool hustling, making money gambling and learning poker by the time he was 16. When he was just one credit short of graduating high school, he dropped out to pursue poker full time in the cash games of Toronto.

The transition was a success and he quickly built up a formidable bankroll at the Toronto cash games. With his sights on even bigger dreams, he scrapped his money together and moved to Las Vegas. This time, unfortunately, the transition wasn't so smooth. He lost his bankroll in Vegas and had to return to Toronto to pick things up again.

Back in Toronto, Daniel showed his fighter's heart and kept at the game. He improved his skills, rebuilt his bankroll and made another go at the Vegas games. Again, it didn't work out and Vegas got the best of him. This cycle continued off and on for a couple of years but his determination finally won the battle and ended the cycle.

Things turned around for him in 1997 when he won two events at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods and took home a little over $50,000 - an impressive amount for him at the time. The tournament even named him the best all around player that year.

1998 turned out to be an even bigger year for the 23 year old when he won $170,000 in the $2,000 Pot Limit Holdem event at the 1998 World Series of Poker. At the time he was the youngest player in the history of the WSOP to earn a bracelet, earning him the nickname "Kid Poker."

The paced picked up even more over the next several year as Daniel went on to win 3 more WSOP bracelets and 2 more World Poker Tour events. 2004 was one of his biggest years ever, with all of his tournament winnings totaling nearly $4.5 million that year. His lifetime tournament earnings now total more than $11,000,000.

Tournament play isn't Daniel's only source of income, though. On the side, he works as a member of Team PokerStars along with other famous poker professionals. He has published his own poker strategy book, appeared in a poker video game and he also contributed a chapter to Doyle Brunson's Super System 2 book.

One of the biggest things that separate Daniel from the rest of the pros is how open he is with his life. He regularly updates his poker blog with results from his poker sessions, circumstances in life and random thoughts on all subjects.

Now he spends his time in Las Vegas where he leads a single life, playing pool, video games and high stakes golf. He is a major hockey fan and a devout vegan. He was briefly married to Lori Webber but they separated in November of 2007. Today you can find him at the PokerStars tables under the screen name "KidPoker."

Daniel Facts

Over $11,000,000 in tournament winnings
Won his first WSOP bracelet at the age of 23
Dated Evelyn Ng in Canada for a time before either one of them became well known
Fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team
Dropped out of high school to pursue his poker career
Avid golfer