Poker Stories: Daniel Negreanu’s World Series of Poker, Part 4

“Everyone has their story of how they lost the main event… It still hurts, but I like the pain. I like feeling emotion.”

After busting out of the main event on Day 1 and being over $1 million down for the World Series so far, Daniel Negreanu begins day 37 by reflecting on the pain of his loss, yet he realizes that, without that pain, there would be no joy in winning. Better to be a suffering human than a robot.

With that in mind, he starts getting dressed up for a fancy poker party in the evening. His Louis Vuitton shoes hurt the sides of his feet, and, when he arrives, he grabs the first glass of champagne he sees so that he can “inhale it”.

Photo: The Mirror

As the night progresses, he gets drunker, louder, and more ornery. He seems to be having a good time as he arm wrestles with other poker pros and shouts whatever comes to his mind, but we have to wonder if he isn’t just trying to wash away some pain…

The Next Day

“My voice is not back yet,” he begins on day 38. “I had to watch what happened last night because I don’t remember… Everything is so loud when I drink. Why was I yelling? There were certainly some brain cells that were left on the penthouse floor.”

Still, he makes the trek across town to the casino to keep grinding. When he gets there, he decides to opt for a 2 hour nap before entering the tournament to shore up his mental state. A few hours later though, he busts out of an Omaha mixed games tournament.

“A little disappointed with how that went, but you know.”

He registers for another tournament, a Razz $1.5k, and when the night ends, he has a short stack left.

Day 39

The next morning, it’s more of the same. “A chip and chair, as they say,” he says with a tiny grimace as he loses more pots. He feels a glimmer of hope as he wins a couple all-ins to double up his short stack, but it isn’t long before he busts out again, right before he gets into the money.

“So now we’re in the steam room, blowing off some steam,” he vents. “It’s been that kind of World Series, right…”

The day concludes with him busting out of yet another tournament. By the end of the night, he’s down $1,069,003 for the series.

“A little bit of an earlier night, which I look at as a blessing some nights,” he consoles himself. “Anytime I can get a little break, I’ll take it.”

Even for a Poker Legend, the grind is full of ups and downs.