$5.5 million, two titles and fans all around the world – Daniel Negreanu and the World Poker Tour just seem to get along. WPT Poker finds out why.
No mention of the World Poker Tour can be made without mention of its most successful player. Daniel Negreanu was already considered one of the top poker pros amongst his peers before he won his first WPT title but there can be no denying that the Canadian player has become household material since his exploits on the tour.
We caught up with Daniel in Vegas to talk about how the World Poker Tour brought him – and poker – to households around the world.
Let’s start off with the early days of the WPT. How did you learn about the tour?
I was already ‘in’, in terms of the poker world, so everyone knew about the WPT. It was no surprise really. It was a very big deal for everyone because we didn’t have any big organised tour we could all play that was televised. So this was the first chance we had to be a part of something that was trackable, in terms of statistics. I’ve always been really into that – I like leaderboard series events where you can win the best all around player and things like that. Also, the WPT had these really big buy-ins that you just saw once a year at the World Series Main Event. Now we had 12 or 13 events and it was something all of the pros got excited about.
How did the tour weigh up to the likes of the WSOP?
You know, it’s interesting. The first season I played in, it just didn’t sink in. I was trying but not with the same rules that I have now about preparation – I was younger and a little sloppier. That season was kind of a disaster for me. I don’t think I cashed once – I was just a mess. But then, after seeing it on television, seeing how cool the production was and just how neat the whole thing was, I remember seeing the very first show and thinking, “Man, I want to be on that final table!” That helped me to be more motivated and prepared.
Were you surprised with how recognised you became through the WPT appearances?
It wasn’t much of a surprise for me. Before it came about, I was already well known in poker circles; I’d won poker tournaments and so on. What changed though with the WPT was that I was now known not just in poker circles but also in mainstream society. That definitely wouldn’t have happened before the World Poker Tour.
Did the use of hole-card cams bother you? I know some players, such as Erik Seidel, were a little sceptical.
No, because I am smarter than he [Seidel] is! I am! It was just short-sightedness. You can look at the WPT as the last frontier of the pros giving away information. When Doyle Brunson wrote Super/System all those years ago, people were like, “Oh, what are you doing? Why are you giving away all our secrets?” What Doyle knew was that writing that book opened the door for so many people. The hole-card cams do the same thing. It gets people excited about the game and yes, it does educate people but if you look at the numbers, they increased in every event, so to think it was a bad idea was foolish, selfish ignorance in terms of thinking it’s all about me. It’s not all about you – it’s about promoting the game. If you promote the game, you’ll make more money in the end. It was just foolish, stupid, and short-sighted – sort of an old-school poker player’s mentality. Luckily they didn’t have any pull.
Let’s go to the moment when you won your first WPT title [in 2004]. You’d become a fan favourite by then so there was huge support for you. What was the Borgata final table like? It wasn’t the easiest one to win, was it?
I really liked the fact it was a recognisable final table. It made it more challenging having Phil Ivey, David Williams, Josh Arieh, and ‘Syracuse Chris’ Tsiprailidis – that made it even more exciting for me. It definitely felt like a long time coming for me. I’ve always felt like an elite player, and I’d already had come close in Season II where I didn’t finish the job. So to get the monkey off my back in Season III and finally get a win was more of a relief than being excited about the win itself.
How did it feel when you looked down and saw pocket aces in the final hand?
Well, David [Williams] plays a very different style to me, and he was trying to play big pots and take me out my comfort zone. For me to beat him I was going to have to pick up some cards. To pick up aces in a spot where he flops top pair was great.
It didn’t take long to notch up the second win. How did the win at the Five Diamond compare to the Borgata success?
That might have been the most special tournament I have ever won. The whole of 2004 was an amazing year for me, not only on the World Poker Tour but also winning the WSOP Player of the Year. The truth is I didn’t actually play a lot of events. I just played the bigger tournaments, so basically the WPT and WSOP. Outside of that I pretty much avoided everything. At the time I was leading the Player of the Year standings, and the day before the WPT Bellagio, David Pham overtook me in the points race and I needed to make the final nine to regain the lead. Not only did I make the final nine, I made it with the biggest chip lead in World Poker Tour history and ended up winning the event. That was my ‘bottom of the ninth, bases loaded’ moment where I could really shine. It was the perfect cap to an incredible year. The money was good too – my biggest win ever of $1.8 million.
You do seem to have streaks when you win a lot of tournaments. What is it about the way you approach tournaments that allow you to do that?
I wish I could pinpoint the reason behind why I am a bit streaky, but I think a lot of it comes down to preparation and motivation. When I am not making many mistakes and feeling physically able, I do better than when I am really grinding and fighting hard. I’ve never done anything like what I am doing right now at the Series [in 2009]. I’ve had nine consecutive nights where I have gone deep into tournament and played until 3am. I certainly played more hours in the first nine days of the Series than any other player.
Another well-known motivation for you must be the prop bets with Phil Ivey. How does that change the dynamic of trying to win tournaments and bracelets?
Obviously, coming 2nd this year [in the $2,500 6-max Limit Hold’em event] was the worst position ever. Having said that I have a lot more money on a prop where Erick Lindgren and I offered a bet to anyone in the world to pick two players to win more Player of the Year points than us. The only person they couldn’t pick was Phil Ivey. So there’s that, plus I also have a lot of bets where Phil doing well actually helps me. I have him in an ESPN Fantasy Pool bet against eleven other teams and my team is killing it! I have Phil Ivey, Jeff Lisandro, David Chiu, Huck Seed and Daniel Alaei, so my team is ridiculously good!
If there was one other player you could be, who would it be and why?
That’s easy - Phil Ivey, because he’s the best player in the world. He’s just so focused and driven. He might play people who are fundamentally stronger and know the games better than him, but he’s so much more of a better poker player who can dissect people and break them down. He’s just a great games player. We’re good friends, so we do talk.
What do you think is the greatest thing you’ve gained through poker, and what is the biggest thing you’ve had to sacrifice to get where you are now?
Obviously the freedom to live the life I’ve always wanted. I can do whatever I want at this time and I don’t have a boss telling me what to do. I have enough money now where I don’t need to stress about it. As far as sacrifices go, I do find it important to promote the game. Sometimes I can be pulled in too many directions and my schedule can get a bit hectic. It’s a case of having to balance the life that I love and the work I have to put in. |
