GPI Player of the Decade | #1 Daniel Negreanu

Who are the Top 9 poker players on the live tournament circuit during the past decade? Find out this week…

#1 | DANIEL NEGREANU 

Age ›› 39
Born ›› Toronto, ON
Resides ›› Las Vegas, NV
Team ›› PokerStars

GPI# ›› 1  |  2013 PoY# ›› 2
GPI Score 2004-2013: 7,377

Wins ›› 2004-2013: 15  |  Career: 40
Earnings ›› 2004-2013: $17,440,753  |  Career: $19,549,209

A DECORATED DECADE

Congratulations to PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu, who sits atop the GPI Player of the Decade rankings. Negreanu, currently ranked #1 on the GPI300, is no doubt one of the biggest stars in the game; the fact that he can now include the title of Player of the Decade to his list of accomplishments only adds to the Canadian pro’s already incredible career.

Those who believed the game “had passed him by” were certainly treated to a rude awakening in 2013. Despite falling to a career-low GPI of 103 mid-season, Negreanu managed to put together one of the most impressive runs in the game’s history. Two WSOP bracelet wins – to go along with several other important scores on the live tournament circuit – later and Kid Poker was on top of the world as the best player in the game … he begins the 2014 poker season ranked #1 for the 10th straight week.

NEGREANU’S HIGHLIGHT REEL

Negreanu’s best seasons in the past 10 years were in 2004 and 2013 – the first and last seasons eligible for points in our GPI Player of the Decade Project. In 2004, Negreanu would start the season finishing third at the PCA, 17th at the Bay 101 Shooting Star and second to Erick Lindgren at the PartyPoker Million – all during Season II play on the World Poker Tour.

Kid Poker would then move on to collect six cashes at the 35th World Series of Poker, including a bracelet victory – the third of his career to this point – in the 2K Limit event. Negreanu would win the 2004 WSOP Player of the Year title for the first time of his career.

But Negreanu wasn’t done yet. Season III on the World Poker Tour would begin later in 2004 and Kid Poker would win back-to-back events on the WPT, at the Borgata Poker Open in Atlantic City and at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas. Season III play would end in 2005 and Negreanu would win the tour’s Player of the Year crown.

2013 didn’t start off very well for Negreanu, his only “cash” to start the year would come in the PartyPoker Premier League where he would actually lose close to 100K in the 125K buy-in league. But that all changed when Daniel arrived in Melbourne for the inaugural WSOP Asia-Pacific. Negreanu would first finish 4th in the Mixed Event won by his friend Phil Ivey. Then, lightning struck and Negreanu would add WSOP bracelet #5 in the Main Event.

Building on the Australian momentum, Negreanu would final table the Main Event at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo and bubble the WPT TV final table at the WPT World Championship within a few weeks. He would then go on to cash in six events at the WSOP, most notably finishing second to Eli Elezra in the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball event.

Negreanu would end his season picking up three cashes in Europe … first, he would finish second in the High Roller event at EPT Barcelona and 25th in the Main Event at WSOP Europe in Enghien-les-Bains, France. But it’s Kid Poker’s victory in the 25K High Roller event – allowing him to collect his sixth career bracelet and earning him the title of WSOP Player of the Year for the second time of his career – that would be the icing on the cake as Negreanu would wrap-up one amazing season!

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Congratulations once again to Daniel and thank you all for taking part in our Player of the Decade Project – let the 2014 poker season begin … the PCA awaits!

GPI PLAYER OF THE DECADE COUNTDOWN

#9 ››  Phil Ivey  |  5,422 points
#8 ››  J.C. Tran  |  5,569 points
#7 ››  Shannon Shorr  |  5,578 points
#6 ››  ElkY  |  5,778 points
#5 ››  John Juanda  |  6,261 points
#4 ››  Barry Greenstein  |  6,457 points
#3 ››  Michael Mizrachi  |  6,553 points
#2 ››  Erik Seidel  |  6,953 points
#1 ››  Daniel Negreanu  |  7,377 points

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