Nicknamed ‘Kid Poker’, Daniel Negreanu is a professional poker player who holds two World Poker Tour (WPT) titles and six World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets. He is the only player who has won the WSOP Player of the Year twice, in 2004 and 2013. As of 2023, Daniel Negreanu has a net worth of $60 million.
Early Life
Raised by Romanian immigrants (Constantin and Annie Negreanu), Daniel was born in Toronto, Canada, on July 26, 1974. He has an older brother named Mike. Negreanu attended Pineway Public School in North York, where the principal made complaints to his mother about his poor manners.
During high school, he often played card games for money with older players. Young Negreanu quit school when he was just a few credits short of graduating. After this, he began working as a rounder at casinos and played illegal games in his area.
Poker Career
When he turned 22, Daniel went to Las Vegas in hopes of becoming a professional poker player. Initially he failed and went back home but the Canadian returned stronger than ever.
In 2004, he was selected as Player of the Year by WSOP, WPT, and Card Player Magazine. Daniel earned the same title in WPT in 2005. In 2013, he was the WSOP Player of the Year, becoming the only person to get the achievement more than once.
With his accolades, Daniel was honored in the Las Vegas Poker Hall of Fame in 2014. One of his most legendary matches is against long-time rival Doug Polk, where Negreanu lost a $1.2 million challenge game. Since then, their relationship has become amicable.
Other Ventures
In 2005, Negreanu became the official ambassador for Poker Mountain, an online poker site. This was when he used the moniker ‘Kid Poker’. Later on, he made sponsorship deals with Full Contact Poker and PokerStars.
Along with his growing reputation, he picked up various media appearances. Daniel released his debut book, ‘Hold’em Wisdom for all Players’, in 2007. He followed it up with two other books.
In addition to his books, the poker expert has published over 100 articles on the Card Player Magazine. He also mentors poker enthusiasts at Poker School Online and Masterclass.com. His seven hour plus course on Masterclass.com costs $15 per month or $189 for the annual plan.
Net Worth and Earnings
2004 is perhaps Daniel Negreanu’s biggest year in poker as he won over $2.7 million from the WPT alone. Daniel has also earned considerable prize money from winning six WSOP bracelets.
He is one of the most successful live tournament poker champions in history and prize money now stands at $51 million. This puts him third on the all-time money list behind Bryn Kenney and Justin Bonomo. Taking into account his accolades and other pursuits, it is not a surprise that his net worth is $60 million.
Personal Life
In the early days, he dated fellow poker superstar Evelyn Ng but their romance fizzled out. He got married to Lori Lin Weber in 2005, but they split up after two years. Next, he married actress Amanda Leatherman in 2019. Around this time, Daniel had a hair transplant to revive his look.
