Daniel Negreanu Professional Poker Player
Born to parents who had left Romania and settled in Toronto, Canada, Daniel held aspirations for a career in show business. He learned how to play poker as a teenager and quickly gained an interest in both game and other aspects of the betting lifestyle. A relationship with eventual professional Evelyn Ng increased his desire to succeed as a poker professional and he moved to Las Vegas to pursue his dream. He began his winning ways at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, winning just over $50,000 and was named the tournament's best all-around player. In 1998, he followed up with winning $169,460 at the Hold'em event in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) , and became the youngest ever bracelet winner. His winning ways continued as he went on to top two World Poker Tour events and three World Series of Poker bracelets. He was named World Series of Poker player of the year in 2004 and the World Poker Tour player of the year in 2005. His high profile status has included a number of unique roles and honors within the poker world. The Wynn Las Vegas Resort, for example, made him its "Poker Ambassador," and gave him the opportunity which came with to play for any stake in their poker room. He remained in this relationship until 2005, when he set up his own poker room on his official site, Full Contact Poker. He played at this site, began writing his own poker blog, and in 2006, launched a competition to select a poker protégé. Upon the first event, the winner was Brian Fidler, and Negreanu agreed to reward him by paying Fidler’s entry fee into four $10,000 buy-in events. A second protégé was Anthony Mark. Daniel Negreanu has become a regular player at Bobby's Room. When not playing, he is busy promoting his Full Contact site as a poker information forum. In his off time, he enjoys golf and has a keen interest in NHL hockey. As a poker professional, he has based his success on an ability to read opponents and evaluate their skill in playing the hands they have. In May 2008, he released his book, Power Hold'em Strategy. The book is really a collection of contributions form a number of well known stars. Negreanu has also started his own teaching site called Poker VT. Negreanu has also been a contributing writer to CardPlayer Magazine and has given lesson to such celebrities as Toby Maguire. He is also portrayed in the 2006 poker video game Stacked with Daniel Negreanu, in which he gives advice on how to be successful. Daniel has also played on a number of TV shows such as Late Night Poker and Poker After Dark. He even appeared as a mentor to Rob Mariano on the Fox Reality series Rob and Amber: Against the Odds. His career in show business may very well have been realized. A vegan since 2003, he now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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