Daniel Negreanu Calls for Ban on Sunglasses and Face Coverings at Poker Table

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, face coverings have become a thing at the poker tables worldwide.  At least one outspoken player wants to put an end to this.

Daniel Negreanu has called for an outright ban on such face coverings as well as sunglasses when playing in poker tournaments.

He tweeted out over the weekend:

"Poker rule changes I would vote for: 1. No face covering of any sort. 2. No Sunglasses. 3. If a player bets 90% or more of their stack, it is an all in. 4. No card protectors allowed on the table. -Improve player/viewer experience -Protect the game."

Poker rule changes I would vote for:

1. No face covering of any sort.

2. No Sunglasses.

3. If a player bets 90% or more of their stack, it is an all in.

4. No card protectors allowed on the table.

-Improve player/viewer experience

-Protect the game

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) December 21, 2024

Many in the poker community believe the use of face coverings has gotten completely out of hand and no longer has anything remotely to do with protecting one's health.

Likewise, folks have called for the end to card protectors, another of the items mentioned by Negreanu.

From Reddit:

"Small chip or token used to protect your cards is one thing, especially in the 1 or 9 seat, but I've seen some people use obnoxiously large statues as card protectors that just make it absurdly difficult to tell if they're in the hand or not. Without seeing the tweet I would assume Daniel's complaint is with the latter example."

Not everyone is in agreement with Negreanu, some seeing him as self-serving.

"What we need to think about first is to have a bias for the way things are already, assuming it's that way for a reason. And then only change things with a good reason where we thought through the consequences.

"We've allowed glasses and face coverings and it's worked out fine for decades this way, so there had better be a pretty good reason to ban them now. Hell even in the old west they had cowboy hats on and bandanas around their neck.

"And keeping it the way it is, is fine for new players. Often it's new players who feel more comfortable if they can show up and use those crutches when they're new to the game and nervous.

"Daniel is really good at convincing himself that whatever is good for him, is what's good for poker."

By  Nagesh Rath Born in Punjab, India, Nagesh has been writing for the Gambling911.com website since 2019.  He mostly covers the more controversial stories impacting the world of gambling, specializing in poker. Nagesh's favorite sport is cricket.  This beat reporter operates from our Miami Beach base where he resides with his wonderful wife Ravjeer and three daughters.