Daniel Negreanu is one of the most recognizable poker players in the world today. Most of his popularity comes from his natural affability at the poker table.

But the player known as "Kid Poker" is as respected as anyone when it comes to the poker wars. Standing 2nd on the World Poker Tour's all-time money list, Negreanu has put together a run over the past eight years that few can match. So don't let the fact that Daniel's mother sometimes brings him a warm lunch to the game. Daniel is a smiling assassin.

Childhood - A Portrait of Kid Poker as a Kid

Daniel Negreanu was born in Toronto in 1975. As a teen, he became a pool hustler. Eventually, Daniel decided that poker was far more challenging than pool, because it's harder to read a person than to read the grain of a billiard's table, so Daniel began to master cards.

Daniel developed his uncanny post-flop talents early, and it's well-known that he can read his opponent's relative strength or weakness with an amazing degree of accuracy. Daniel dropped out of high school to pursue his new ambition, eventually leaving Toronto for Las Vegas at the age of 21.

Kid Poker Bursts Onto the Scene

At 23, Daniel burst upon the poker scene when he won the Pot Limit Hold 'Em title at the World Series of Poker. This victory made him the youngest winner of a WSOP bracelet.

This became the beginning of a string of success that continues to this day.  Daniel is the proud owner of 3 World Series of Poker bracelets and 2 World Poker Tour season titles.

Negreanu's proudest poker achievement was probably winning the Toyota Player of the Year Award in the 2004 World Series of Poker. This award was given for sustained excellence during the grueling, month-long 2004 WSOP. During that month, Daniel won a World Series bracelet and placed in five events.

There have been other big wins, too. Daniel took home over $1 million for winning the Borgata Poker Open in 2004. Soon afterward, he grabbed another $1.8 million for his win in the Five Diamond World Poker Classic.

Watching Daniel Negreanu is watching a great poker player at his best, in the prime of his poker career, in fact.

Other Pursuits

Daniel has turned his poker fame into a number of profitable ventures. He contributed on Super System II, the follow-up to Doyle Brunson's seminal work on poker. Negreanu was also the Poker Ambassador at the Wynn Poker Resort, though this business relationship has since ended.

Daniel also tutors poker players online, inclduing celebrity clients like Tobey McGuire. He is also a regular and sometimes controversial writer for CardPlayer magazine.

Daniel plays in high limit cash games when not on the poker tournament circuit.

In 2005, Daniel Negreanu married Lori Lin Weber.

This article was last updated on January 7, 2006.