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Third-Time’s
a Charm: Daniel Negreanu Wins
His Third World Series of Poker
Gold Bracelet and $169,100
-In third
final table appearance of 2004, Negreanu
dominates play and earns victory
Last
year has been the best year of my life,
in many ways. Poker and life mirror themselves
in that if you are going well in your
personal life, and you’re happy,
your poker results and concentration are
going to be raised, as well. All that
other stuff that some might think is insignificant,
is so much more important than people
realize.
-- Daniel Negreanu
Daniel
Negreanu burst onto the poker scene like
a meteor back in 1998, when he won one
of the first World Series of Poker tournaments
he ever entered � the $2,000 buy-in Pot-Limit
Hold�em event. That victory thrust Negreanu
into the spotlight. He soon began writing
a column for Card Player magazine. He
moved from Canada to Las Vegas and began
playing in the big cash games. He became
one of poker�s most eloquent young voices,
and was an inspiration to other members
of his generation to take up poker.
But
meteors have short lives. They shine brilliantly
for all-too brief moments, then fade and
are eventually forgotten. Negreanu went
through his own cosmic clashes, enduring
all the ups and downs that life as a poker
player can doll out. Negreanu was in and
out of money for a period that lasted
years.
Negreanu
struggled to find his own sense of equilibrium,
an inner peace that would allow him to
enjoy his success. But, he went through
growing pains that were obvious to everyone
in the poker world who knew him, his biography
played out and scribed across the green
felt for all to scrutinize. Negreanu is
the second-generation son of Romanian-born
parents who immigrated to Toronto, Canada.
He demonstrated a prodigal talent for
cards at an early age. Negreanu was so
committed to poker, he eventually quit
school and played cards for a living as
a teenager � beating the underground games
around Toronto (don�t try this at home,
folks). Negreanu later got his high school
diploma, but by then � it was all acedemic.
His career path had been set.
Negreanu
turned 21 and set his sights on Las Vegas.
He found the transition difficult at first,
but eventually beat the game through a
single-minded sense of determination that
was unequalled by anyone of his generation
(notwithstanding Phil Ivey, who would
emerge on his own a few years later).
If anything provided a barometer for Negreanu�s
personal life, it was and has been the
World Series of Poker. After winning in
1998, he made it into the money only once
in 1999, and followed that with a horrible
year in 2000, failing to make it into
the money even once that year in the world�s
most prestigious tournament. By his own
admission, partying and many late nights
took a toll on Negreanu�s bankroll and
confidence. Then, he finished 11th in
the main event in 2001, and seemed to
turn things around. Negreanu brought his
mother, now widowed, from Canada to Las
Vegas and built a home life.
Five
years after the first victory that caught
the poker world by surprise, it took Negreanu
another five years to win his second gold
bracelet. That came in 2003, when he topped
the $2,000 S.H.O.E. event and won over
$100,000. In fact, he had 1st, 2nd, 6th,
and 15th-place finishes last year � netting
over $325,000 in winnings. Negreanu�s
success at the poker tables reflected
his personal life. He found a new girlfriend
and cut back on the late night partying
that had hurt his game in previous years.
Negreanu
came into this year�s World Series with
a clear purpose � to win another gold
bracelet. In the first two weeks of competition,
he came close a few times. Negreanu took
7th place in the $2,500 Limit Hold�em
event and 3rd in the $1,000 No-Limit Hold�em
event. He also made the money in the $2,000
No-Limit Hold�em event.
The
15th tournament of this year�s World Series
was the $2,000 Limit Hold�em competition,
which attracted 287 entries. At the end
of day one, there were nine finalists.
One of the survivors was Daniel Negreanu.
From
the onset of play on day two, it seemed
Minh Nguyen would provide the biggest
obstacle to Negreanu�s chances for victory.
Minh was making his third final appearance
also, having won $155,000 in the Pot-Limit
Hold�em event last week. Minh started
the day with a slight chip advantage --
$100K to Negreanu�s $91K.
Players
were eliminated, as follows:
9th � DIEGO CORDOVEZ � The ex-Stanford
Cardinal saw red when he lost with a straight
and was the first player to exit. Cordovez,
a.k.a. �The D Train,� flopped the nut
straight, but lost when his opponent�s
set turned into a full house on the river.
This was Cordovez� 9th time in the money
at the WSOP. He won a gold bracelet in
2000 in the $2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold�em
event. Cordovez received $10,560 � which
now gives him $441,115 in lifetime WSOP
winnings.
8th
� JEFF PHILLIPS � The attorney from South
Carolina was making his first final table
appearance. This was only the third poker
tournament Phillips had entered, to date.
It�s a remarkable testament to his ability
to quickly adapt to the pressure of playing
at the WSOP that he topped 279 other players
and finished 8th. Phillips went out on
a tough beat, when he flopped top pair
with K-Q and lost to a straight. Phillips
collected $15,840.
7th
� JAIME PEREZ � The 36-year-old poker
player from Los Angeles came in with low
chips. He flopped two pair, but lost to
a three-of-a-kind. Perez was making his
first final table appearance in this event.
He took home $21,120.
6th
� JENNIFER GENTRY � The only female finalist
of the group, Gentry was in good chip
position, but went on a terrible run during
her last hour at the final table. Gentry
made her final stand with K-10, and failed
to make a pair, losing to pocket 8s. Gentry,
a real estate agent from the Dallas suburb
of Rockwall (TX), went out in 7th-place
with $26,400.
5th
� �MINNEAPOLIS JIM� MEEHAN � Meehan made
a nice run on day two, as he started lowest
on chips with just $11K. He rocketed up
close to the chip lead at one point, with
over $100K. But Meehan was finally knocked
out when he made a move with A-8 and was
called by Negreanu, holding 2-2. Meehan
failed to connect and went out in 5th
place and $31,680. Meehan won a gold bracelet
in the $2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold�em
event last year, and now has made seven
final tables since his first appearance
in 1999 ($506,740 in lifetime WSOP winnings).
4th
� TED PARK � Another first timer was Ted
Park, an English tudor from San Francisco.
His bid to win the gold bracelet was lost
in translation when, after surviving several
�all ins,� he hung his hopes on Q-10.
Negreanu had 3-3 and flopped a three,
making the task virtually impossible.
Park was given a lessen of his own, and
promises to be someone to watch in the
future for his perseverance. Fourth place
paid $36,960.
3rd
� MINH NGUYEN � The heads-up match that
many were predicting never materialized.
Nguyen battled his two opponents for a
while, but eventually was worn down by
a run of bad cards and missed flops. Nguyen
went out on a draw and lost to pocket
8s. Nguyen now has two gold bracelets
� for $1,500 Seven-Card Stud in 2003,
and $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold�em this year.
This was his 10th cash, and 4th this year
alone. With $47,520 in this event, Nguyen
now has $467,990 in lifetime WSOP earnings.
When
heads-up play began, the chip counts stood
as follows:
DANIEL
NEGREANU: $320K
CHRIS HINCHCLIFFE: $260K
Limits increased to $8K-16K, then $10K-20K.
Negreanu steadily increased his stack
size. It took about two hours for Negreanu
to finish off his opponent.
NEGREANU:
K-2
HINCHCLIFFE: K-4 (of hearts)
Negreanu
was in the big blind and called a raise.
The flop came 7-3-2 -- with two hearts.
When a king fell on the turn, Negreanu
had made two pair and Hinchcliff had top
pair with a heart-flush draw. With limits
so high, Hinchcliff was all in when the
dust settled, and hoped to catch one of
18 outs to win the huge pot. A black ace
rained down on the river, crushing the
dreams of one player and making the dream
of another come true.
Chris
Hinchcliff played marvelously during the
two-day event, and even earned high praise
from Negreanu. �He�s got such raw talent,�
Negreanu said afterward. �When he gets
some of the kinks out of his game, he�s
going to be an awesome talent � an absolute
monster.� Hinchcliff, who works in the
construction trade in Olympia, WA, has
now cashed three times at this year�s
tournament. Not bad for a player who is
attending the WSOP for the first time.
He received $92,940 as the runner up.
Hinchcliff
had a few words of his own. �Daniel is
an excellent player,� Hinchcliff said
afterward. �My goal was to get heads-up
with him�.He�s very aggressive and very
intimidating. He�s very good at what he
does. It sure went his way tonight.�
There
was at least one humorous moment at the
final table, which played out as Negreanu
was being mobbed by well wishers following
his win. Negreanu�s mother, who admittedly
understands little about poker, got tired
of watching the �action� and decided to
check out the Horseshoe buffet instead.
Of course, while she was away, Negreanu
won. Hearing the commotion, �Mama Negreanu�
barreled into the tournament room, waddled
through the crowd gathered around the
final table, and gave her son a kiss.
�I
can�t believe it. I finally get heads-up,
and then my mother chooses to run off
to the buffet,� he said jokingly. �But
seriously, it�s nice to have her here
with me. I wish my father (who died in
1996) could be here as well, because he
never got to see me win at the World Series.
That�s one thing I regret, but having
Mom here, is at least half as good.�
Negreanu
also discussed his recent troubles in
closing tournament with a win. �Coming
in second and third at the final table
like (I�ve been doing recently) is frustrating.
So, this is a relief,� Negreanu said afterward.
�I think I�m going to win at least one
more this year.�
Negreanu
is now 29-years-old. He lives in Las Vegas.
His lifetime winnings at the World Series
of Poker are now just shy of one-million
dollars, at $980,000. He is expected to
become the next entrant into the elite
WSOP �millionaires club.�
-- Official Report
by Nolan Dalla, Media Director -- 2004
World Series of Poker
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