iStockphoto / Milan Koelen
Without naming names, Daniel Negreanu shared an amazing poker story from his early days that resonates with anyone who has ever been bitten by the so-called Poker Bug. He posted about a time when he used to play heads-up against any challenger and the story sounds like something straight from Mike McDermott’s head in Rounders.
Prior to becoming arguably the most famous person in Poker, Daniel Negreanu says he used to play heads-up at the Wynn Resort & Casino in Las Vegas where he’d entertain any challengers. Negreanu would allow his opponents to pick the game and the stakes so it wasn’t always No Limit Hold’Em and it wasn’t always mid-stakes.
Sharing this story on X, Daniel says this was against an opponent who wanted to play a Limit Hold’em heads-up match where they each bought in for $500,000. The winner would walk away with a million bucks, presumably, though he never explicitly says ‘winner take all.’ His story reads:
“Many years ago I hosted heads up matches at the Wynn, against anyone who stepped up and they got to pick the game and the stakes.” Daniel continue “I remember one limit Hold’em match for $500k I check raised a K73 flop and saw my opponent fold 55 and it was that moment that I knew I could not lose the match.”
“There are times when a play is a clear giveaway about a strategy flaw in your opponent that tips you off to a pattern you will be able to exploit relentlessly.”
Kid Poker went on to say “I had A3 in this spot, and my opponent insta mucked which was also informative. They didn’t give it a single thought, as though it was an obvious fold. I did end up winning that match without much resistance.”
Naturally, the ‘reply guys’ were in Daniel’s mentions and cleared up two things. First, how Daniel Negreanu knew his opponent had 5-5 (they accidentally revealed their hand when mucking) and secondly, should the opponent have folded in that spot:
If you fold that hand on the flop you are folding way too often and will get chewed up in limit.
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) January 17, 2025
In addition to having one of the greatest poker minds of any player the game has ever seen, Negreanu’s ability to read an individual is unmatched. I spoke to actor and WSOP ambassador Jason Alexander two Decembers ago and he echoed that, basically saying that within 5 minutes of speaking with Daniel Negreanu he knows everything he needs to know about you. That’s one of his many gifts.
To be a fly on that wall for the heads-up match would’ve been awesome. It would be very cool to see Daniel Negreanu share more stories like this from his past of just straight-up poker play. Stuff like that would make for an interesting memoir outside of his Master Class and poker strategy books.