Images courtesy of WPT.com
No one has been more central to GGPoker’s growth on the player side than Daniel Negreanu.
Becoming a GGPoker Global Ambassador in November of 2019, ‘Kid Poker’ has been the flagbearer at many series, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas and The Bahamas as part of the WSOP Paradise festival.
We sat down with the seven-time bracelet winner and Poker Hall of Famer to find out how his year is panning out and why the WSOP’s move from Rozvadov to Prague is a good one for players.
Streaming Success
The recent WSOP Online Series was very well populated, and Daniel played his part too. Enjoying a fortnight of action, while he didn’t add an eighth WSOP bracelet to his trophy cabinet, he enjoyed the experience of streaming his action a lot; that is, until YouTube pulled his content, along with several other vloggers.
It’s a fun trip I make to Vancouver for two weeks to focus solely on streaming the series, says Daniel. It’s unfortunate that the YouTube algorithm is punishing poker for some reason, but I hope they will get it sorted.
Growing poker’s reputation relies on content not being so heavily flagged on video streaming sites such as YouTube. To many, poker should be way more readily accepted as mainstream content now than in the past, yet it’s being heavily punished.
I think the intent is good, in that, it’s not content for people under 18, and we are all good with that [but] it represents less than 1% of the audience anyway.
While Daniel says that’s not an issue, because poker streamers manage that themselves, the ‘blocking’ element of the bans being frequently handed out isn’t perfect.
Age restricting the videos is something we do on our own anyway. The problem is that a byproduct is hiding the content from adults who enjoy watching poker content.
The Bracelet Chase
This week, Josh Arieh won his seventh WSOP bracelet, leveling with Daniel in the chase to win the most WSOP bracelets.
Daniel’s newest local neighbor won his latest event online, and this is why Daniel believes Arieh may have the edge in terms of the pursuit of bracelet number eight.
Josh has become a really close friend and will be a neighbor soon, so we’re looking forward to hanging out with the wives more. As for who gets number eight first, I’d say probably him since he is playing the online series now while I’m not.
The WSOP Europe location has long been a source of debate among poker players. It’s moving to Prague in 2026 and taking place six months earlier.
I think [the move] it was long overdue, and players seem to really enjoy Prague more than Rozvadov, where it’s a lot more isolated. I don’t have any plans to go, but who knows?
One event Daniel commented on recently was the GGMillion$, the $10,300 buy-in tournament that takes place every week on GGPoker. Daniel’s commentary alongside regular host Jeff Gross went down a storm with fans, with many saying it was their favorite ever episode to watch.
I enjoyed it and it’s a good way to learn too because you have to be watching and also trying to understand why players are making certain plays. I also think I’m experienced in simplifying high-level concepts so the average viewer can understand and have ‘a-ha!’ moments.
The Postseason
While many of the year’s regular sporting events, from the Las Vegas World Series to Major League Baseball (MLB), are over, the postseason is often when the big moments come.
In WSOP terms, this means excitement under the balmy sun in The Bahamas for WSOP Paradise. In baseball, Daniel’s favorite team – the Toronto Blue Jays – are down to the final four teams. They share his healthy habit of declaring their intentions with their postseason slogan of ‘Want It All.’
I’m watching Game 2 as we speak! laughs Daniel. It’s not looking good [The Toronto Blue Jays lost 10-3 to the Seattle Mariners], but it ain’t over till it’s over. As for declarations and intention, that’s how my brain is wired now, so it will always be a part of how I handle life.
The WSOP Paradise festival in The Bahamas is right around the corner, and it has the potential to be even bigger than last year, especially given the $25,000-entry Super Main Event has increased its guarantee from $50 million to $60 million.
The series clashes with the World Poker Tour’s World Championship, crossing over some days between one series beginning and the other ending. Daniel doesn’t see that as all bad.
I think there are pluses and minuses to the overlap. The downside is players can’t play both, but the benefit to players is they have options, and both venues need to be player-friendly to lure you there. Competition is always best for the consumer.
With competition at the poker felt and in operators’ boardrooms never fiercer than in 2025, there’s every chance that Kid Poker finishes the year strongly. His game is set up to perform at his peak when the crunch comes.
Daniel Negreanu is ready for the postseason.
