When online poker giant GGPoker acquired a stake in the popular streaming show Hustler Casino Live (HCL), getting Daniel Negreanu involved was an obvious first thought.
“Daniel Negreanu is an ambassador [for GGPoker], he's more likely to come play,” HCL showrunner Ryan Feldman told PokerOrg, while Negreanu himself was immediately upfront about the prospect. “You rarely see me playing high-stakes poker on streams anymore,” said the man known as ‘Kid Poker,’ “but this is going to get me out of retirement and returning to the felt, playing on the most epic cash game stream poker has ever seen.”
With the dust settling on the deal announced last month, Negreanu has yet to be seen on-screen at the LA-based HCL, but that could be about to change.
Negreanu has been vocal recently about the realities of playing at the high end of the tournament buy-in spectrum. While he may not be a Triton regular just yet, he’s clearly prepared to put up vast sums and back himself in big money games. And when it comes to high stakes, the Million Dollar Game (MDG) is the biggest on the HCL schedule. If Negreanu is going to play the "most epic cash game stream," this is it.
What’s more, early publicity for the MDG — running from April 28 through May 2 — includes an intriguing player to-be-determined…
Keating calls out Kid Poker
As you might expect, the headline-grabbing element of the MDG is the seven-figure stakes: each player buys in for at least $1 million, with blinds at $500/1K with a $2K big blind ante.
One name definitely confirmed for at least a portion of the five-day extravaganza is Alan Keating, a player who is no stranger to big stacks or indeed the TV cameras, recently appearing everywhere from High Stakes Poker to his own, new YouTube project.
Keating aimed a calculated — if tongue-in-cheek — jab in Negreanu’s direction last week, calling him a ‘last-gen’ player and mocking those who ‘want to limit their exposure to a tournament buy-in and prefer the safe structure and predictable situations their comfort blanket short-stacks provide.’
Doug Polk calls it
But is there more going on behind the scenes?
One person who suspects that may be the case is Doug Polk, who in a video this week discusses the idea that Negreanu’s involvement may already be a done deal.
“Here's my theory,” Polk says in his recent video, “This is all already planned. In fact, Negreanu is already confirmed for the game and this is a way of building hype.
“GGPoker just bought half of the Hustler Casino Live stream… Why would they do that and then not have Negreanu play? This is the biggest show Hustler Casino Live is going to have this year. Certainly GGPoker will want Negreanu to try and bolster the viewership for that event? So in my book, I think you can already count on Daniel being there.”
Catch Polk’s full video here.
Whether it's a done deal or a long shot, watching Negreanu duke it out in the MDG is something that would be great for HCL, good for GGPoker and, most importantly, amazing for you watching at home.
And don't worry if life gets in the way and you can't make it to the stream: we'll be bringing you the biggest pots and craziest hands of the week-long game right here at PokerOrg.
Hustler Casino Live's Million Dollar Game runs from April 28 to May 2 and will be available to watch on HCL's YouTube channel.
Featured image courtesy of PokerGO.
