Daniel Negreanu finally crossed the coveted Poker Players Championship title off his career bucket list after an emotional and triumphant run for bracelet #7 at last summer’s WSOP.
The Players Championship has traditionally been one of the most prestigious tournaments on the WSOP schedule since the legendary Chip Reese was crowned the inaugural PPC champion in 2006.
PokerOrg reached out to Negreanu to get the lowdown regarding his favorite WSOP event (guess), his pet peeve each year, and whether he believes that GGPoker will raise the bar from past years at the WSOP.
What were your favorite events on the schedule last year, and which ones are you planning to play this summer?
For me, it’s the $50K Poker Players Championship that I happened to win, but I would have said that anyway and would have for years!
Outside of the WSOP Main Event, it’s the title I coveted the most. I plan to play my usual, mainly high buy-in mixed schedule, the PLOs, and some NLH as well.
What do you hope to see new on the schedule this year?
There are two events I want to see added that I think will happen: the $100K PLO and the $25K PLO/NLH.
Now that WSOP is under the leadership of GGPoker, are you expecting things overall to be different or business as usual?
I am not certain if we can implement the WSOP+ app this year, but if so, it’s truly a game changer, as those who attended WSOP Bahamas can attest. It streamlines the registration process; you can do everything on your phone without waiting in lines.
It's mostly business as usual, with upgrades that improve the player experience – the WSOP+ app, of course, and hopefully even more accessible food options.
What has been your pet peeve recently at the WSOP, and do you think it might be sorted out this year?
It’s been a bit frustrating, out of our control primarily due to union rules, but having food service to the table would make things much better for all. Whether it's from on-site restaurants or the ability to use food delivery services, it's not currently permitted due to Nevada union rules.
Are you going in with the same mindset as last year of only playing on days when you can be 100% focused and present?
I think so. But I haven’t decided just yet how I plan to attack it. I can’t imagine I will increase my schedule at all and still focus on the big buy-ins.
If you had to pick one player to watch out for this year, who would it be?
Fresh off a victory, a name that’s long overdue: Martins Adeniya.
Follow Daniel Negreanu on X. Watch our in-depth interview with him on PokerOrg’s The Interview.
