“You gotta be in it to win it.” To make it in the big time poker world, just like in a marathon, participants have to push a little harder. “Kid Poker” Daniel Negreanu has set himself on a grueling course of poker action that will kick off in May and run through the summer, investing $2 million to participate in some of the year’s biggest games. Of course, with over 20 times that amount to be won, it’s a small price to pay.
Negreanu has already racked up more than $36 million in live tournament action. He’s poker’s winningest player, and certainly isn’t afraid to bet big. He is set to participate in 39 WSOP tournaments between June 1 and July 15, and has several other games lined up both before and after he sits down at the WSOP felt.
With the hectic schedule, Negreanu may have bitten off a little more than he can chew. He seemed to surprise even himself with his schedule, posting on Twitter, “Just going over my proposed poker schedule for May and beyond and yikes are there ever a boatload of high buy in [sic] tournaments. Pre-Exhaustion before the WSOP even starts. Also FYI $25k WSOP Fantasy draft date likely May 30th. May have a guarantee on it too!”
Just going over my proposed poker schedule for May and beyond and yikes are there ever a boatload of high buy in tournaments. Pre-Exhaustion before the WSOP even starts.
Also FYI $25k WSOP Fantasy draft date likely May 30th. May have a guarantee on it too!
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) April 2, 2018
Negreanu’s committed to putting up $2 million, but he’s also a businessman and knows how to balance his risks. He’s selling $500,000 of the action to fans who want to want to get in on the game. The bets may be a little bit of a risk, given Negreanu’s current semi-slump.
2016 and 2017 weren’t the best years for Negreanu. He played in 10 tournaments in 2016, only making it to the final table once. He was sent to the rail in fourth place at the $1,500 WSOP Seven Card Razz tournament for his best finish of the year. His worst finish was an elimination in 401st place at the $1,111 NLHE Little One for One Drop at the WSOP in July of that year.
Last year, the man with six WSOP bracelets and two WPT titles participated in 21 tournaments, making it to the final table 13 times. So far this year, he has sat down for seven tournaments, making it to the final table each time. However, he still has not been able to produce another first-place win since the NLHE Shark Cage tournament in May of 2015.
