Winter is coming. And that means big decisions for poker players around the world. Bracelets in The Bahamas? WPT’s World Championship in Vegas? Or snow with the EPT in Prague? In this daily series, we’ll find out what the players are up to and, more importantly, why.
Daniel Negreanu rarely, if ever, pulls any punches. Whether it’s vlogs at the WSOP, impromptu interviews, or the in-your-face vulnerability with his wife Amanda on their new Mania Podcast, he’s more than ready to battle and engage.
That authenticity and frankness are the main reasons poker fans fell in love with the Hall of Famer. On the felt or off, Daniel is gregarious, combative, and immensely entertaining.
PokerOrg caught up with Daniel as he prepares to battle for an eighth bracelet.
What events are you playing in December?
I’m 100% a WSOP guy. The choice was easy for me to go to The Bahamas, in addition to playing for the bracelets.
I'm a high-stakes pro. There are some massive fields with a $50 million guarantee, and then there is the $500K buy-in Invitational. The best players in the world will be there.
What events are you particularly excited about?
Everything, man. I'm an all-around athlete. There are a few I am looking forward to. The PLO event is very special. There’s also a dealer's choice, which I think suits my skill set. I don't think many top mixed-game pros will go down there. I feel I have a good chance to win a bracelet in that one.
What do you think of the clash between WPT, WSOP, and EPT?
Let's look at the reality of what competition does. Competition benefits who? These operators must do their best to woo you into coming to their venue. What does that mean? It's best for the players.
While it may be true that you can't go to all three, the good news is you have different venues. And they are competing for your appearance. How can that be bad?
I mean, I get it. For the very small group of people who'd love to play all three, they won't be able to do that. But it pushes all the operators to do more for the player.
Where did you play last year?
The Bahamas. I played the entirety of the thing and I did my daily vlogs. I’ll do my vlogs again this year. I had a few deep runs last year but didn't win any bracelets.
You’ve done three episodes of the Mania Podcast with your wife Amanda so far. Can you tell us how that's going?
I think it's been really good, first and foremost, for our relationship. But the feedback we get from the majority of people, above all things, is their appreciation for the vulnerability, openness, and authenticity. What we share, it's real. We don't pull punches and have nothing to hide, no shame. We've done three episodes, and we are about to record the fourth.
What feedback are you getting about the show?
I'm hearing from many couples who say they're getting great information out of it, especially regarding Amanda's perspective. A lot of people have issues themselves with either bipolar or something else. They are being inspired to heal. That's pretty cool feedback so far.
Who is your pick for the Global Poker Index POY?
I honestly don't have a clue because I don't even know their formula. I remember I got screwed one year. And every year since then, I'm like, screw this shit, I'm pissed. However, they eventually fixed the points formula.
As far as the winner, I don’t even know. But Jesse is a grinder, and Adrian is a high-stakes guy. So, one of those two.
Fill us in. What happened with the GPI POY awards that year?
I won the 2013 GPI Player of the Year, 1000%. But they f****d me. They used the thing where you could only use specific results (it wasn’t the whole year).
My totals were better than Ole Schemion's. But they wouldn't let me count some of the scores from the first half of the year, which was dumb. They don't do that system anymore.
My main focus is the upcoming PokerGO Tour awards. That's where I play a lot of my events. I’m in a good position there. I think I will finish second to Jeremy Ausmus, but there's a $500K freeroll in January. I'm in good shape to win.
And, of course, I’m looking forward to the WSOP events in The Bahamas.
What are you and Amanda doing for Christmas?
We don't travel, man. We are homebodies. We've got the three Christmas trees up and ready to go. We just spend time with each other. Amanda likes watching Christmas movies, opening presents, and all that Christmas stuff.
Christmas will be even more fun next year if we have a little DNegs running around.
Did you just drop a bomb? Daniel? Daniel?
(Radio Silence)
Daniel is an ambassador for GGPoker. You can follow Daniel on X and keep up with his daily vlogs on his YouTube channel.
