EN
PT
ES
RU
ZH
IT
DE
FR
Daniel Negreanu, known as “Kid Poker”, is a Canadian professional poker player born in Toronto in 1974 and inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2014. He has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets, the most recent in the $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha at the 2026 WSOP, and two World Poker Tour titles. His live tournament earnings stand at $60,677,067 as of October 5, 2026. [1][2]
Daniel Negreanu: key facts
| Full name | Daniel Negreanu |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Kid Poker [2] |
| Born | July 26, 1974, Toronto, Ontario, Canada [2] |
| Nationality | Canadian, with U.S. citizenship [1] |
| Lives in | Las Vegas, Nevada [2] |
| Poker Hall of Fame | Inducted 2014 [2][3] |
| WSOP bracelets | 8 (372 WSOP cashes, 99 final tables) [2] |
| WSOP Player of the Year | 2004 and 2013 [1] |
| WPT titles | 2 (Borgata Poker Open and Five Diamond World Poker Classic, both 2004) [1][9] |
| Live tournament earnings | $60,677,067 as of October 5, 2026 [1] |
Early life in Toronto
Negreanu’s parents emigrated from Romania seven years before he was born. He grew up in Toronto, where as a young teenager he spent time in pool halls, hustling, betting on sports and playing cards. He left high school one credit short of graduation to focus on poker. [1]
He married Amanda Leatherman, a former PokerNews host, in May 2019 at the Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, California. The two had dated in 2010, reconnected in 2018 and became engaged on New Year’s Eve that year. [14] According to PokerNews, he has been vegan since his early 20s. [1]
Beginning in poker: “Kid Poker”
His first recorded tournament cash came in 1997. In the late 1990s he played mostly on the East Coast, and won the $7,500 Texas Hold’em Championship Event at the United States Poker Championship in Atlantic City for $210,000. [1]
In 1998 he won his first WSOP bracelet in the $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em event for $169,460. At 23 he became the youngest WSOP champion to that point, a record that stood until Scott Fischman’s bracelet in 2004. The win gave him the nickname “Kid Poker”. [1][2]
His breakthrough year was 2004. He won his third bracelet, was named WSOP Player of the Year, and won two WPT events: the Borgata Poker Open for $1,117,400 and, in December, the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio for $1,770,218 after beating Humberto Brenes heads-up. [1][9] The Five Diamond prize was at the time a record WPT top prize. [10] He finished 2004 as Card Player Player of the Year, with four tournament wins and eleven final tables that year. [11]
He became a PokerStars ambassador in 2007 and left the site in 2019 after more than a decade, signing with GGPoker in November 2019. [1][15]
Playing style
Negreanu is best known for reading opponents at the table. When he was elected to the Hall of Fame, Pokerfuse described him as “famous for his affable table image and uncanny ability to call out his opponents cards”. [3] PokerNews has written of his “engaging table demeanor and ability to seemingly know what his opponents were holding”. [5]
In Power Hold’em Strategy (2008) he set out his “small ball” approach to No-Limit Hold’em, an approach he returned to in More Hold’em Wisdom for All Players. [16][17] After his 2022 Super High Roller Bowl win he said deep-stacked No-Limit Hold’em still had room to evolve, including a limping strategy he felt few opponents had studied. [8] In 2026 he called Pot-Limit Omaha the game best suited to his skill set and said he plays it by feel rather than with solvers. [4]
Greatest achievements
WSOP bracelets
| Year | Event | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha (83 entries) | $2,257,718 | [4] |
| 2024 | $50,000 Poker Players Championship (89 entries) | $1,178,703 | [5][6] |
| 2013 | WSOP Europe €25,600 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller | €725,000 | [1] |
| 2013 | WSOP Asia-Pacific A$10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event | A$1,038,825 | [1] |
| 2008 | $2,000 Limit Hold’em | $204,863 | [1] |
| 1998 | $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em | $169,460 | [1] |
| 2004 | $2,000 Limit Hold’em | $169,100 | [1] |
| 2003 | $2,000 S.H.O.E. | $100,440 | [1] |
The two 2013 titles helped him to a second WSOP Player of the Year award. [1] His 2024 win in the Poker Players Championship, a nine-game mixed event, came after a heads-up match against Bryce Yockey and ended an 11-year bracelet drought; Phil Ivey finished seventh at that final table. [5][6] Two years later he beat Artur Martirosian heads-up for his first Pot-Limit Omaha bracelet, a result that took his live tournament earnings past $60 million. [4]
His WSOP.com profile lists 8 bracelets, 1 WSOP Circuit ring, 372 cashes, 99 final tables and $36,489,448 in earnings across the events shown on that profile. [2] In the 2015 WSOP Main Event he finished 11th for $526,776, one place short of the November Nine, after Joe McKeehen made a straight on the river against his pair of aces. [12]
Other major tournament results
| Year | Event | Result | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | WSOP $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop (42 entrants) | 2nd | $8,288,001 | [7] |
| 2022 | Super High Roller Bowl VII, $300,000 buy-in (24 entrants) | 1st | $3,312,000 | [8] |
| 2018 | $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl (48 players) | 2nd | $3,000,000 | [9] |
| 2004 | WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic (376 entries) | 1st | $1,770,218 | [9] |
| 2019 | WSOP $100,000 High Roller (99 entries) | 2nd | $1,725,838 | [9] |
| 2004 | WPT Borgata Poker Open | 1st | $1,117,400 | [9] |
The 2014 One Drop runner-up finish, behind Dan Colman, who won $15,306,668, remains the largest cash of his career and moved him to the top of the all-time live tournament money list at the time. [7] In 2022 he beat Nick Petrangelo heads-up to win Super High Roller Bowl VII, four years after finishing second to Justin Bonomo in the same event. [8] He has also won several PokerGO Tour events, including two in early 2024, the 2024 PLO Series and the 2025 Mixed Games Series. [1]
Poker Hall of Fame, 2014
Negreanu and Jack McClelland were announced as the 47th and 48th members of the Poker Hall of Fame in October 2014. Negreanu was elected at 40, the minimum age for election, at the first opportunity. [3]
The heads-up match with Doug Polk
A long feud with Doug Polk led to the “High Stakes Feud”, a heads-up No-Limit Hold’em match on WSOP.com that began in 2020 and ended in February 2021 after 25,000 hands. Polk won about $1.2 million. [13]
Books and TV
- Hold’em Wisdom for All Players (early 2007): 50 short lessons compiled from his weekly newspaper column, “Playing Poker with Daniel Negreanu”. [17]
- Power Hold’em Strategy (2008): a book of about 500 pages with chapters by Evelyn Ng, Todd Brunson, Erick Lindgren, Paul Wasicka and David Williams; Negreanu’s own section presents his small ball strategy. [16]
- More Hold’em Wisdom for All Players (2008): fifty more of his columns, arranged in four parts. [17]
On television he has appeared on High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark and High Stakes Duel, and each summer he publishes a daily WSOP vlog. [2] On High Stakes Duel he lost three straight heads-up matches to Phil Hellmuth. [13]
In his own words
- “It’s an honor to be inducted alongside so many great players that have come before me. An even bigger honor to be recognized at age 40, the same age as the legend Chip Reese.” On his Hall of Fame election, 2014. [3]
- “Obviously the biggest cash of my career, but it’s amazing how in the moment you win $8 million, the first thought and feeling is the loss of the extra $7 million you missed out on.” On the 2014 Big One for One Drop. [9]
- “You know what? I just did play my way and it felt really, really good.” After winning Super High Roller Bowl VII, 2022. [8]
- “There is one event in the world I want to play more than any and I wanted to win more than any, and it’s this one.” After winning the Poker Players Championship, 2024. [5]
- “I don’t study the game with solvers or anything, because, frankly, I don’t need to, because the game makes sense to me.” On Pot-Limit Omaha, 2026. [4]
Iconic hands and moments
Gus Hansen makes quads against Negreanu on High Stakes Poker
One of the best-known pots from High Stakes Poker, published by PokerGO. [18]
Winning Super High Roller Bowl VII (PokerGO)
The 2024 Poker Players Championship (PokerGO)
Daniel Negreanu’s start to 2024 (PokerGO)
FAQ about Daniel Negreanu
How old is Daniel Negreanu?
Daniel Negreanu was born on July 26, 1974, so he was 52 years old on October 5, 2026. [2]
Is Daniel Negreanu Romanian?
He was born in Toronto, Canada, to parents who emigrated from Romania seven years before his birth. He is Canadian and also holds U.S. citizenship. [1]
Why is Daniel Negreanu called “Kid Poker”?
The nickname comes from his first WSOP bracelet in 1998, which he won at 23, then the youngest age for any WSOP champion. [1]
How many WSOP bracelets does Daniel Negreanu have?
Eight. The most recent came in the $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha at the 2026 WSOP, two years after his seventh in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. [2][4]
What is Daniel Negreanu’s net worth?
There is no reliable public figure for his net worth; PokerNews notes that his sponsorship income is undisclosed. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $60,677,067 in earnings as of October 5, 2026. [1]
Is Daniel Negreanu married?
Yes. He married Amanda Leatherman, a former PokerNews host, in May 2019. [14]
When did Daniel Negreanu start playing poker?
He played cards as a teenager in Toronto and left high school to focus on poker. His first recorded tournament cash came in 1997, a year before his first bracelet. [1]
How many WPT titles has Daniel Negreanu won?
Two, both in 2004: the Borgata Poker Open ($1,117,400) and the Five Diamond World Poker Classic ($1,770,218). [9]
How close has Daniel Negreanu come to a WSOP Main Event final table?
In 2015 he finished 11th, one place short of the November Nine, for $526,776. [12]
Related Poker Legends
Read more about Chip Reese, whom Negreanu named in his Hall of Fame remarks, Phil Ivey, who reached the final table of his 2024 Poker Players Championship win, and Phil Hellmuth, his opponent on High Stakes Duel.
Sources
- PokerNews, Daniel Negreanu player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- WSOP.com, Daniel Negreanu player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- Pokerfuse, Officially Legends, Daniel Negreanu and Jack McClelland Join the Poker Hall of Fame, October 24, 2014.
- PokerNews, Daniel Negreanu Wins Eighth WSOP Bracelet and $2,257,718, July 2, 2026.
- PokerNews, Daniel Negreanu Wins 7th WSOP Bracelet in $50,000 Poker Players Championship, June 27, 2024.
- Card Player, Daniel Negreanu Ends WSOP Dry Spell With Poker Players Championship Victory, 2024.
- PokerNews, 2014 WSOP Day 36: Daniel Colman Wins Big One for One Drop, $15.3M; Negreanu 2nd, July 2014.
- PokerNews, Daniel Negreanu Breaks Two-Year Cold Streak by Winning SHRB for $3.3M, October 7, 2022.
- PokerNews, How Many Times Has Daniel Negreanu Cashed for Over $1 Million?, April 2020.
- PokerNews, Retrospective of the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, December 2016.
- PokerNews, Negreanu Captures Player of The Year, January 2005.
- PokerNews, Daniel Negreanu Falls as November Nine Dream Ends, July 2015.
- PokerNews, Top Stories of 2021, #4: Doug Polk vs. Daniel Negreanu, December 28, 2021.
- PokerNews, Daniel Negreanu and Amanda Leatherman wedding report, May 18, 2019.
- PokerNews, Daniel Negreanu signs with GGPoker, November 20, 2019.
- PokerNews, Poker Book Review: Daniel Negreanu’s ‘Power Hold’em Strategy’, September 2008.
- PokerNews, Poker Book Review: Daniel Negreanu’s ‘More Hold’em Wisdom for All Players’, November 2008.
- PokerGO on YouTube, Gus Hansen Hits Quads Against Daniel Negreanu | High Stakes Poker
Last verified: October 5, 2026. Figures that change over time, such as career earnings, are given with the date they were checked.
