Daniel Negreanu is a magnificently talented professional poker player. At the age of 33, Negreanu already has three World Series of Poker Bracelets and two World Poker Tour championship titles under his belt. With a long and illustrious career ahead of him, Daniel’s live tournament winnings alone already equal $9,450,425. Daniel Negreanu has finished in the money 102 times in live tournaments, 23 of those being 1st-place finishes.

Negreanu was born in Toronto, Ontario, on July 26, 1974 to parents Annie and Constantin, who moved from Romania to Canada in 1967. Daniel grew up as the average boy, but came up a few credits shy of graduating high school. Daniel decided it was time to move on, dropping out of school to play in charitable casino games and even illegal poker games when he could find them.

During his early poker playing days in Toronto, Daniel crossed paths with his soon-to-be girlfriend Evelyn Ng, who would also follow the path of a successful, professional poker player. He spent his time building a sizable bankroll so that, upon turning 21, Daniel could travel to Las Vegas to find his fortune and fame at the poker tables.

Negreanu did just that, but did not find the success he had hoped for. Vegas was not as kind to Daniel as the local poker games had been, and he was soon forced to move back to his hometown of Toronto to rebuild his bankroll. In 1997, Negreanu’s professional career took a turn for the better, taking down the World Poker Finals on December 9, 1997 for his first live tournament cash of $38,400.

Daniel Negreanu’s poker career has flourished ever since, taking down numerous events and finishing in the money enough time to pocket nearly $10-million thus far. He is usually easy to spot at the poker tables, often donning a hockey jersey and headphones. Negreanu enjoys listening to relaxing music and sounds, like ocean waves, claiming it helps him to win.

Daniel Negreanu and the WSOP
Daniel Negreanu has found great success in the World Series of Poker (WSOP), though he has yet to win the Min Event. Daniel has accumulate 3 WSOP Bracelets and several million dollars over his professional poker career. In fact, Negreanu’s first WSOP cash was a Bracelet-winning, 1st-place victory in the 1998 WSOP Event #9 PL Hold’em, awarding $169,460.

Daniel’s second notable WSOP win was in 2002, but did not come with a WSOP Bracelet. He finished 2nd in Event #29 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo for $85,400. The following year saw Daniel Negreanu claiming his second WSOP Bracelet on May 29, 2003. He triumphed over the field of Event #23 Limit S.H.O.E. for another lucrative prize purse of $100,440.

2004 was also a great year for Daniel Negreanu in regards to the WSOP. He claimed his third, an thus far final, WSOP Bracelet in Event #15 Limit Hold’em, earning $169,100 for his 1st place win. However, Negreanu’s largest WSOP cash actually came in a pre-tournament circuit event on January 22, 2006, when Daniel finished 1st in a NL Hold’em championship event for $755,525 at the Grand Casino Tunica Poker Tournament.

Daniel Negreanu and the WPT
In its very first season, the World Poker Tour (WPT) 2002, Daniel took not one, but three 1st place victories in the Legends of Poker Tournament for a grand total of just under $100,000. In February of 2003, Negreanu finished 1st in a PL Omaha event of the LA Poker Classic, awarding another $49,900.

Daniel Negreanu found extremely profitable success in the second season of the WPT, cashing seven times. Though none of those prize purses came with a 1st place victory, Negreanu did snag 3rd place in the Caribbean Adventure in January of 2004, earning $192,270, and only two months later, finished in 2nd at the PartyPoker Millions III for an impressive $675,178.

As the WPT reached its third season, Daniel Negreanu’s skills followed right along. He took down the Borgata Poker Open on September 22, 2004 to pocket his largest single-match earnings of his career up to that point, $1,117,400. A few months later, Negreanu bested his own record by taking home $1,770,218 for clearing the tables at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic II Main Event.

Negreanu’s most recent, profitably notable cashes in the WPT came in its fifth season. On December 19, 2006, Daniel earned $592,000 for a 3rd place finish in the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic. January 25, 2007 was almost just as lucrative, pocketing another $502,691 for a 2nd place victory in the World Poker Finals NL Hold’em Championship.

WPT Season 6 has been slow, yet profitable for Daniel thus far. His only finish in the money came in December of 2007, once again at the Bellagio Five Diamond Wold Poker Classic, where Negreanu finished 14th over for a purse of $96,355. It will e most interesting to see what the coming season of the World Poker Tour has in store for Daniel Negreanu.

Daniel Negreanu’s Other Achievements
In 1998, Daniel Negreanu took 1st place in the California State Poker Championship, earning $40,320. The following year, he upped the ante by taking down the United States Poker Championship for $210,000. Outside of WSOP and WPT events, Daniel’s next big tournament win came in June of 2004, awarding a 1st place prize of $310,000 in the Championship at the Plaza Main Event.