Poker Player Profile: Play like Daniel Negreanu

If you're watching a poker tournament on television, whether it's a World Poker Tour event, a World Series of Poker battle, or one of the many other televised poker shows that have cropped up, and you see a youthful Canadian seeming to have a great time as he collects all of his opponents' chips, you're probably getting a look at Daniel Negreanu.

Still in his 30s, Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu already has one of the most impressive poker records in the poker tournament world. He was the youngest to win a World Series of Poker bracelet when he collected his first one in 1998 for pot limit Texas hold'em. He has since collected two more World Series of Poker bracelets, two World Poker Tour main event trophies, and has appeared on more televised final poker tables than most poker players you can think of. If you want to play like Daniel, here are a few things you have to do.

Learn to Read

Daniel Negreanu is one of the masters of reading his opposition. He is famous for being able to put opponents on a hand. Time after time, Negreanu has announced his opponent's hand for the cameras before calling or folding. To get better at putting opponents on hands, practice. Whenever you play, decide what you think your opponents have on each hand, and be prepared to change that assessment as new information comes in. This is an especially useful thing to try when you are not in a hand to stay focused. Since you are not involved, you can devote your full energies to figure out what your opponents are holding. The more you do this, the better you'll get at it, and the more successful you will be.

Learn to Self-Promote

Once your reading skills have made you successful, make the most of it. Negreanu has made himself into his very own poker brand, being named the "Poker Ambassador" at the billion dollar Wynn Casino for a time, sponsoring his own website, FullContactPoker.com, and running a promotion wherein you can win an opportunity to be Daniel's protégé. He also writes frequently for Cardplayer Magazine, has his own poker video game "Stacked," and appears on as many televised poker shows as he can.

Don't Get Married

This is not a reference to your personal romantic life, as Daniel himself is married to Lori Weber (not poker player Evelyn Ng, although they dated for some time and are still good friends). Rather, don't get married to your poker hand. Daniel is famous for playing a lot of very unusual hands, but isn't afraid to lay a hand down when things get too hot. If you are going to get too attached to your hand after the flop, you need to be more selective about what you play before the flop.

Source: www.pokerjunkie.com