The high stakes feud between Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk has seen 16 sessions of poker take place so far, and despite and early lead and a rally after half a dozen sessions, it is now looking.

1. Daniel Negreanu had another tough session in his heads-up match against Doug Polk on Wednesday. Down $674k before the session, Daniel Negreanu lost another $101k over the course of 3 hours on Wednesday. It was yet another frustrating session filled with bad luck and bad timing for Negreanu.
2. None of the pros featured on Poker Central’s “Ask a Pro” need an introduction, but it’s always fun to dive into the numbers and results of the world’s best players. This week we’ve asked Daniel Negreanu to answer some questions from our fans and followers on social media, and let’s just say that there aren’t many more qualified.
3. If you entered the poker tournament world 10 years ago, you know there were a few pretty simple strategies employed. That’s not the case anymore. All-time poker icon Daniel Negreanu takes us through his Strategy Tips for Modern Tournament Poker in 2020.

Online poker has seen a meteoritic few months with so many poker players staying home during the pandemic. With the annual World Series of Poker postponed until fall, organizers announced a new agreement for 85 gold bracelet events.

The events will allow WSOP.com players the opportunity to win a bracelet beginning July 1. GGPoker will also allow international players the chance to win a bracelet beginning July 19.

Daniel Negreanu is one of the biggest names in poker and now serves as a GG brand ambassador. With so much on the line when bracelet events get underway, Negreanu spoke to PlayUSA about how players can improve their poker games and his own plans to add to his own bracelet collection this summer.

Playing for WSOP bracelets online

Negreanu may be as synonymous with poker as anyone including the WSOP. His poker resumé boasts $42 million in live tournament winnings, six WSOP bracelets, and two World Poker Tour titles.

The new online WSOP series has stoked plenty of debate among poker players. Opinions range from pleased to see online poker’s expansion to lamenting so many online events awarding gold.

Negreanu prefers a pragmatic outlook on the subject.

“I believe an online WSOP is better than no WSOP,” he says. “I’m obviously a mixed game aficionado so not seeing that on the schedule is unfortunate, but as I said, I’m just happy to be able to play something.”

The series includes 31 events beginning at WSOP.com. GGPoker will also begin offering a slate of 54 bracelet events as well as other tournaments beginning July 17.

WSOP.com has seen massive fields since the pandemic began with many big name pros jumping in the action. This has been a boon for the US and international online poker industry.

The two platforms already teamed up in May for the WSOP Super OnlineCircuit Series. That series smashed the $100 million guarantee and paid out $134 milion.

The WSOP Online series offers the first time players outside the US have a chance to win a bracelet online. Many are already working on travel plans for both series — including Negreanu.

“My plan is to grind both fully,” he says. “All of July at home on the WSOP.com platform and then immediately flying to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where I’ve rented a house to play all the GGPoker.com portion.”

Online poker advice from Daniel Negreanu

Originally from Toronto, Canada, and now living in Las Vegas, Negreanu is no stranger to online poker. He represented PokerStars for years and then jumped on board at GG in November.

Negreanu has been a big fan of the site and believes it has the best software in the industry. The bracelet events should attract monster fields and he offered some advice on transitioning from live poker to online.

“Online poker is a better way to improve your skills than live poker by a wide margin,” he says. “Online is all about focusing on the fundamentals and it’s easier to analyze hands you may have played using the hand history feature.”

Those new to playing online should start small, he says. This gives a player some time to adjust to a faster pace and the actual online gameplay.

“Get accustomed to the software and all the bells and whistles available before you jump in for big money,” Negreanu notes.

And while obviously players can’t see opponents online, Negreanu says observation is still important. Player tells can even be picked up on at the virtual poker tables.

“There are lots of tells available in terms of timing, but mainly you are going to focus on betting patterns and tendencies that you should log using the notes feature,” he says. “Anytime your opponent does something outside the norm, it would be a good idea to log that so next time you face them you have some insight into what they are capable of.”

Document those online poker sessions and opponents

Negreanu stresses taking notes and tracking opponents. GGPoker and other sites offer this as well as using the color-coded labeling feature.

“These will help you make better reads during crunch time,” he says.

There’s one aspect of the game he won’t offer much advice on — bankroll management and what percentage of it to risk.

“That’s a personal choice depending on the person and how comfortable you are with risk,” Negreanu says. “Whether live or online, how much gamble a person has is individual to their situation.”

WSOP Online offers the opportunity to win a bracelet with buy-ins starting only at $400. No doubt seasoned pros and recreational players alike will be looking for a shot at online glory.

Looking ahead at WSOP

Negreanu has won on every major poker stage imaginable. In 2015, he even came within a whisker of making the final table of the WSOP Main Event. He finished 11th for $526,778 – all playing out live on ESPN.

Negreanu now has an opportunity to add something new to his poker record — an online bracelet. He thinks those who head outside the country to play will enjoy the GG product and experience.

“The bells and whistles on GGPoker are designed to be the most fun playing experience you will find playing online,” he says. “It is far and away the best software on the market, specifically when it comes to playing on a mobile device.”

A self-confessed poker superfan, Negreanu will be a tough customer at the online tables when bracelet events crank up. He’s hungry for a bracelet – whether online or live at the WSOP’s longtime home — the Rio hotel in Las Vegas.

“A bracelet is a bracelet as far as I’m concerned, and winning an online bracelet is tough due to field size and strength of opponents,” he says. “I’d be proud of any bracelet I won.”

This is the second article of a continuous weekly series that gives you a unique opportunity to get a poker strategy question answered by one of your favorite pros. Keep an eye on Poker Central’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram page as every Monday we will be posting the pro of the week. Read last week’s edition of this article series featuring Bryn Kenney right here.

None of the pros featured on Poker Central’s “Ask a Pro” need an introduction, but it’s always fun to dive into the numbers and results of the world’s best players. This week we’ve asked Daniel Negreanu to answer some questions from our fans and followers on social media, and let’s just say that there aren’t many more qualified players out there!

Negreanu currently ranks second on poker’s all-time money list with nearly $40 million in career earnings, having lead those rankings for many years before Justin Bonomo overtook him with his recent Big One for One Drop win.

In 2018, Negreanu has $4.5 million in earnings to date, already making this the second best year in terms of money cashed for in his career. At the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl, Negreanu recorded the second biggest score of his career by finishing second to Bonomo for $3,000,000. Relive Daniel Negreanu’s preparation and play during the Super High Roller Bowl in PokerGO’s original series INSIDERS. Now, let’s get to the questions!

Ask Daniel Negreanu

Should anyone play as tight as I do?

— Allen Kessler (@AllenKessler) October 9, 2018

Is Tight Right?

Allen Kessler was quick with his question, and due to the nature of his status as one of the tightest players in the world, we passed it on to Daniel.

Daniel Negreanu Best Poker Player

“First and foremost,” Negreanu said, “You’re going to have to ask yourself an important question. What are your goals? If your goals are to actually win money playing poker, then it will not be possible to play as tight as Allen Kessler. If you’re there to play and complain as long as possible? Then you should probably play even tighter than Allen Kessler.”

Post-Bubble Play

Next up is a question from @PotatoSol who wonders what his strategy should be as a mid-to-low stack after the bubble bursts. “Should I be trying to outlast other small stacks to get pay jumps, or should I be going aggressively for the blinds and to double up?”

Negreanu answers, “The pay jumps are so small after the bubble bursts that you shouldn’t overcompensate by worrying about those small increases because tournaments are so top-heavy. You want to finish in the Top 3 and if you’re playing tight to outlast other short stacks, you’ll decrease your chances of hitting a big payday.”

Want to hear Daniel Negreanu talk about one of the biggest hands of his career as a tournament player? Check out Hand Histories on PokerGO in the player below. Find all episodes of Hand Histories right here, exclusively on PokerGO.

Amateur Mistakes

Warren Brooks dropped in a tough question that potentially has many answers, as he wondered, “What is one mistake you see most often made by amateur players?”

Negreanu answers, “The one thing I see most often from amateur players is limping in rather than raising and playing too many hands by limping. You’re typically going to want to avoid limping in, especially with weak hands out of position.”

Avoiding Tilt

Mike on Twitter is curious about something that affects all of us that play poker. From time to time it’s hard to avoid going on tilt, and he wants to know, “How do you avoid being on tilt when it’s not going your way?”

Negreanu answers, “Avoiding tilt comes with experience. I use a little trick, allowing myself to mentally vent about the situation by thinking something like, ‘This idiot should’ve never played that hand, he’s never going to win the tournament!’ and after that thought passes, I refocus on how I want to experience myself and my focus. So, I allow myself to experience what I went through and then move on from it very quickly.”

Balancing Ranges

Daniel Negreanu Best Poker Tips For Beginners

Last but not least, David Weyrick jumped on top of Negreanu’s recent study process and asked, “Since you started studying how the young player approach the game, what is the biggest surprises or eye-opener that you’ve incorporated into your game?”

Negreanu answers, “The biggest takeaway is learning to be more balanced with my ranges. In some cases, my betting range and my checking range were too week because I was betting too often with a strong hand, and checking too often when I didn’t. If I checked back, my opponents could bet the turn and river and I didn’t have a good enough range to call with. Now, I check back stronger hands more often and by checking back more, you make both your betting and checking range stronger and that’s what I needed to do. This has helped me a lot in the high rollers that I’ve played.”

Want more Daniel Negreanu talk and play? Catch both nights of “Power Play” week on Poker After Dark on-demand right now on PokerGO.