Daniel Negreanu: "This Was My Best World Series of Poker By Far"

Day 3 of the World Series of Poker Main Event is set to begin this afternoon, with live coverage beginning on PokerGO at 11:30 AM PT. One player who will not be returning to unbag chips when the 2,572-player field resumes play, is Daniel Negreanu. The six-time WSOP bracelet winner was eliminated late last night, more or less marking the end of his 2017 WSOP.

After his Main Event elimination, Negreanu was very open and candid about this year’s World Series of Poker.

“This was my best World Series of Poker by far and I’ve been playing the WSOP since 1998.” Negreanu said, adding, “In terms of play, patience in everything and results wise, I think it is up there as my best. Nothing to do with money, how many bracelets I won, but in terms of consistent effort.”

 Negreanu’s effort this summer, much like past summers, has been centered around the $10,000 Championship events. The high buy-in events are staples at the World Series and test the world’s top players in nearly every poker variant, with each game boasting their own $10,000 buy-in championship. In 2017, Negreanu had eight top-18 finishes in such events.

“I’m very proud those results were in $10Ks because that is what I come to play.” Negreanu said, before talking about his preparation for the summer. “In the $10Ks, you’re up against top notch competition and I worked on my game specifically for those events.”

That work involved preparing for the $10K Championships, even though Negreanu has played those games for the entirety of his career.

“I did some studying on mixed games,” Negreanu said, before adding, “Sometimes you get complacent, so just some refreshers, some reminders, running numbers in different situations helps a ton.”

In terms of quality and quantity, Negreanu’s results in the World Series’ most prestigious mixed game events this summer are some of the best of all-time. Despite numerous deep runs though, including a final table finish of in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, he was unable to win a 7^th-career WSOP bracelet this summer.

“It’s been kind of crazy that I haven’t won one in Vegas in a very long time,” Negreanu said, referencing his 2008 victory which was his last WSOP win on US soil. His closest call this year came in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, where he finished 2^nd to Abe Mosseri. “I was hoping by now to have probably nine or ten bracelets but at this point in my career, I only have six.”

Close calls and bracelet totals aside, Negeranu is always one of the top contenders for World Series of Poker Player of the Year. This year though, despite a career-best WSOP, he will not be adding a third POY title to his Hall of Fame resume.

“Simply, my whole year revolves around the World Series Player of the Year.” Negreanu said, before discussing this year’s formula. “Obviously, there is a little controversy over the rules for POY. I am always striving for that, I always enjoy playing for Player of the Year. I’m going to talk to them and see where they are going with it.”

Negreanu also mentions that if the $10,000 Championship events, along with the other big buy-in events that make the World Series the battle ground for the world’s best, don’t get a lot of value, that his plans for future summers could change.

“I’ll probably have a much-reduced schedule, I might not get an RV, I might not do the fantasy thing , I might just kind of shut it all down.” Negreanu said, while also stating, “I may go into a different phase, move into just playing the higher stake cash games and kind of get away from the tournament grind. Unless I really like the way the system looks for Player of the Year. If it is one that I think is winnable for players who play the mixed games, exclusively, then I’ll go for it.”

For as long as poker fans can remember, Daniel Negeranu has gone for it at the World Series and this year was no different. With eleven cashes, four final table finishes and nearly $700,000 in winnings, 2017 was a career year for Kid Poker, proving that he is still one of the best players in the world.