Poker champ shares his techniques in new weekly column

Daniel Negreanu doesn't hesitate when asked why people should read his new poker column.

"I'm a good player," he said in a recent phone interview from Las Vegas. "You are going to get information from a player who has been very successful in both tournaments and cash games. There are very few poker players who are going to let you in on some of the secrets I am willing to share."

Negreanu, 30, might seem a tad cocky when it comes to cards, but it's not without reason.

Since taking up poker professionally in the mid-1990s, the Toronto-born player - whose column begins today in the Star (find it on Page E6) - has built a reputation as one of the best, raking in an estimated $2 million to $3 million annually.

In 2004, Card Player magazine, ESPN and the World Poker Tour each named Negreanu player of the year.

Not bad for someone who originally had no interest in the game.

Negreanu's first passion was pool.

He played competitively before switching to poker in his late teens.

"I had a pretty simple reason for switching: money," he said. "There wasn't as much money in pool. Nobody had any. In poker, you could make a lot more money a lot quicker."

Now in the game - professionally and as an amateur - for more than a decade, Negreanu says he has amassed a number of skills and techniques over the years. He plans to share these tips in his new column.

"I am trying to give back to the poker world because it has been very good to me," Negreanu said. "The type of column I'm writing is a column that everyone will understand and take something from.

"My market isn't grizzled veteran tournament players. This column will help the everyday reader get in the mind of a poker player and learn tidbits and tricks that can help them in their kitchen table games."

Topics covered by Negreanu will range from getting into a game to reading your opponents.

"I'd like to educate the public on the simple things related to poker," he said. "If you watch the poker broadcasts on television, they always have the introduction explaining things. I'd like poker to come to a place where you don't have to do that anymore. At the same time, there will be advanced tips in there that, if you grasp them, great. If not, you will still get something out of it."

Negreanu said his column might not produce the next champion, but it will provide information players can use to be successful at poker.

"You don't have to be some sort of poker genius to become a confident player," he said. "Anyone can learn and study poker like they would any school subject. If you do that, and you have any sort of discipline, you will become a winning player."

By Gerald M. Gay

News Added: 11 July, 2005

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