Like many folks out there, I’ve been a Daniel Negreanu fan for pretty much as long as I’ve been into poker. That’s a good 20+ years. But I’ve never actually put my money where my mouth is, in a manner of speaking. This year, it was finally time to do just that: when PokerStake offered people the chance to buy a piece of Daniel’s 2024 WSOP package, I jumped at the opportunity. Having had a little over $200 in my account, I’ve gone all-in and have emptied the proverbial clip, buying $216 for a whopping .0012% of Daniel’s action. Below are the top five reasons why I pulled the trigger.
Image credit: PokerGO
1. No Markup
As one of the most successful and popular poker players of all-time, Daniel could easily charge markup – i.e., a premium levied upon investors – but he chooses not to. Based on his track record and reputation alone, it’s a strategically advantageous move to invest in staking Negreanu as opposed to “any random poker player”. Statistically speaking, he is more likely to run deep and cash big in tournaments, which would thus justify his charging investors markup.
But Daniel is “a man of the people”. He has said on countless occasions that “I don’t need the money; I’ve set aside 25% of my buy-ins so the fans can have a sweat.” Well, anyone fortunate enough to get in and buy a piece not only has a sweat, but also gets themselves excellent value.
Today we had over 700 buyers of @realkidpoker @wsop package in under 3 minutes.
It was selling so fast, we decided to halt sales until tomorrow at noon EST.
We expect the final 8% to go even quicker. So be ready!
— PokerStake (@pokerstakecom) May 14, 2024
2. Quality Over Quantity = Successful (Thus Far)
Heading into this calendar year, Daniel declared that 2024 would be about “quality over quantity”. Five months into 2024, Daniel has stuck with this approach and it has thus far served him well. The fact that he hasn’t played as much poker means he’s HUNGRY going into the WSOP and will be starting off in peak form.
I’ll bet (literally!) that he’s likely to maintain that form as he bobs and weaves his way through the lengthy World Series of Poker schedule rather than running himself ragged trying to play in every possible tournament, as in years past.
Poker is all skill.
Quality over Quantity 2024
Didn’t play any of the $5ks but felt like it today and am chip leader with 8 left
Stream will be @PokerGo tomorrow pic.twitter.com/2M3TSKeMSb
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) January 16, 2024
Daniel has already notched five 6-figure scores in 2024, which is as many as he recorded in all of 2023. It seems to me that he’s locked in and primed for more success. Past results are not necessarily an indicator of future success, but this summer I’ll take my chances.
3. Daniel is Overdue for a Big WSOP
Daniel won WSOP Player of the Year honors in 2004 and 2014. It has been over a decade since he last won a bracelet, and over 15 years since he last won one in Las Vegas. Many people have been saying that “Daniel is due” for quite a while, including me. So now, if anything, he’s “overdue” for a big World Series of Poker.
While this sentiment is admittedly pretty subjective, the convergence of Daniel’s past achievements, “being due”, and current momentum suggests that an impressive WSOP performance is imminent.
Back when he first released the video detailing his 2023 results review and approach to 2024, I predicted that he’d win two bracelets this coming year.
You can’t watch this 👇 and not believe that Daniel’s going to have a great 2024.
Prediction: 2 bracelets, 2 PGT wins, 1 Triton FT, $5-6 million net profit, and a lot of happy investors on @pokerstakecom
GL, Daniel 👍 https://t.co/WknbkWCEiV
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) January 1, 2024
I stand by that prediction and such a double-bracelet performance would certainly be in line with everything mentioned thus far. Why not invest, ride on those coattails, and (hopefully) make some money along the way?
4. Vested Interest in Daniel Negreanu’s Daily Vlog
Hundreds of thousands of people watch Daniel’s daily vlog every summer. We’ve chronicled how that all comes together in the past both in Las Vegas and in Europe. I already watch and root for him, but now I have another reason to cheer him on, as I stand to financially benefit as well. His swings will (sort of) be my swings. There’s something cool about that.
5. Investing in a Friend is Always +EV
The four aforementioned reasons would apply to anyone hoping to buy a piece of Negreanu’s action. This final reason is a bit more personal. Daniel has always been ultra kind to me, generous with his time, supportive of my work in poker media, and more. He has no need for any sort of staking (from me or anyone else), and the $216 I invested wouldn’t even register as a blip on his radar.
But the one thing a friend can always offer is their friendship; that counts for something. To tell someone “hey, I believe in you and what you’re doing so much that I’m going all-in with my PokerStake bankroll” is the best vote of confidence you can give them.
And to have been able to write this up and share this article with the poker world; it already feels like a winning investment as far as I’m concerned.
Wishing Daniel and all who managed to grab a piece the best of luck!
