Images courtesy of the World Series of Poker
The 57th annual World Series of Poker is still an ongoing pursuit for just nine individuals, with the WSOP Main Event down to the final table.
For everyone else, however, poker’s version of ‘summer camp’ is in the can and certainly for Daniel Negreanu. Across a hugely profitable series, ‘Kid Poker claimed an eighth WSOP title in the $100,000-entry PLO high Roller event for a top score of $2,257,718 in Las Vegas.
We caught up with Canada’s most successful tournament player of all time to talk all things WSOP, along with how the most recognisable face in poker is planning for fatherhood and a late tilt at the WSOP Player of the Year title in The Bahamas.
Taking Down the ‘Russian Bear’
After 83 entries had been whittled down to just 13 in-the-money players, Daniel took on Russian player Artur Martirosian to compete for and eventually win the eighth bracelet of his poker career. While the ‘Russian Bear’ was a formidable opponent, Daniel won through, just like Rocky did against his own infamous Russian adversary Ivan Drago in the classic movies beloved by Kid Poker.
In the closing stages, Daniel made a series of bluffs at key moments to keep control of the chips and ultimately pile pressure on his opponent. We wanted to know how difficult it is to make big bluffs against a player whose professional career is littered with examples of him correctly calling in marginal spots.
Well, there is a very important piece of the puzzle here that dictates how you need to play spots – he was completely out of time banks, says Daniel.
That means in big river spots, he only had 30 seconds to calculate my bluff combos. He is very analytical, and you can’t really make big hero calls that easily when you don’t have time to break it down. So I knew in big spots I had to just always go for it.
Winning his eighth WSOP bracelet in thrilling circumstances and in such a big-ticket event – just as he did in the 2024 Poker Players Championship – Daniel showed his love of Pot Limit Omaha once again. It’s clear he loves playing PLO, and he told us it’s been his preferred format of poker for a while now.
Most definitely. PLO has earned its place at the top of my favorite game list. I feel like the game was designed for all my strengths, and my potential flaws in pre-flop skills in a game like No Limit Hold’em don’t get punished.
Player of the Year and The Bahamas
This year, the race to become the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year doesn’t end with the conclusion of the Las Vegas series. It continues and indeed ends in The Bahamas, making this year’s WSOP Paradise the biggest one yet. The race at the top of the leaderboard is super close, and while Alex Foxen, Shaun Deeb and Naoya Kihara have a healthy lead, Daniel considers himself in the chasing pack.
There are going to be several PLO events, and I know I’ll need to win at least one. I’m confident that I will. The schedule sets up really well for Alex Foxen, who I expect to be the odds-on favorite, but I’m definitely in the hunt.
Given the life-changing event of becoming parents is in the near future for Daniel and his wife Amanda, we wondered what volume and emotional energy the expectant father will be able to put in given the Negreanus are so close to becoming “Mom and Dad” as well as Daniel and Amanda.
I’ll be in the Bahamas solo, obviously, with my eye on the prize, Daniel says with a determined glint in his eye. It’s about two weeks away, but after that trip, I’ll be a dedicated stay-at-home dad until WSOP summer camp hits again.
Daniel made a big profit for his stakers on PokerStake this summer after selling action at no markup. He finds it very gratifying that he was able to put something out there for the fans and win them money too.
Yeah, it definitely feels good to have a sizable win for those that [bought] a piece. I’ll definitely post something on PokerStake for The Bahamas.
Becoming a Father in 2026
Turning from man to Dad is the biggest thing that has ever happened to this reporter, and at 52 years old, we know that the moment he becomes a father is sure to change Daniel’s life forever. He’s looking forward to everything about it, challenges and all.
I’m at a place in life now where I feel ready, and so does Amanda, Daniel describes. I think men and women are different – well, I know they are! – but she is super into the nesting stuff while my male brain is already trying to figure out the best way to introduce him to golf!
There’s almost certainly going to be a Polymarket futures bet open on whether ‘Lil’ Kid Poker’ becomes a poker champion like his Dad, but while Daniel is open to teaching his offspring the game, he’d never put his son under any pressure to take up poker.
If he wants to learn poker, I’ll teach him, but it won’t be a priority for sure. I want him to experience a wide variety of sports, arts, and other interests and we’ll support whatever path speaks to him.
Predictions for the Future
With Daniel now starting the biggest gap between WSOP events of the year, he has over four months to prepare for the 15 events that will make up the 2026 WSOP Paradise festival. He’s got a plan in action to make the most out of the series.
I will be doing some study in September and October… but not the kind everyone else is doing, he says cryptically. “DNegs’ style study looks very different to the solver style you see among a lot of young players today. I also have a trip to Montreal scheduled to support the WSOP Super Circuit event at Playground.
With Daniel now on eight WSOP bracelets, he’s one of a number of players bunching up behind Phil Hellmuth (17) in terms of all-time wins. Other than himself, we wanted to know who Daniel rates as having the best chance of getting closest to The Poker Brat by the year 2030.
Great question. I definitely think it will be surpassed, and a couple names that come up are Benny Glaser and Shaun Deeb. Benny is likely more skilled in most games, but Shaun puts in insane volume and is willing to burn ROI in order to win. I’d still go Benny.
With that, it’s back to the books. Not poker books – yet – but those parenting tips and tricks that will make the end of 2026 magical for the Negreanus, whatever happens in the Bahamas. As years go, the last seven months have already been the stuff of dreams for poker’s perennial personality.
