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Copyright © 2006 Asbury Park Press

January 15, 2006

HEADLINE:
Poker is his passion

Author: Daniel Negreanu

Body:
Greetings to poker players and fans around the world.

I'm Daniel Negreanu, and I've made my living as a professional poker player since 1992.

For those who don't know me, I've played in poker tournaments around the world, won many and am honored to be the 2004-2005 World Poker Tour Player of the Year, 2004 ESPN Player of the Year and 2004 Card Player Magazine Player of the Year.

I've won some prize money, too. About $6 million in winnings from tournament play ranks me as the career leader in professional poker tournament earnings.

I'm 31, hail from Toronto, Canada, and now live in Las Vegas. Poker is what I do and poker is my passion.

That's all you'll hear about me, because this weekly column isn't about me. It's about you, and how I can help you to become a better poker player.

Very few of you have played in big-dollar tournaments like the World Series of Poker. Only a small percentage of you have ventured into a casino to play cash-game or tournament poker. But maybe someday you will, and by reading this column I'll help you prepare.

My goal is simple. I want to provide useful information that will help make you a better player so that you can enjoy the game more. Every week, you'll learn a poker nugget that you can put to use immediately, either in your weekly home game or trips to an online poker room. This column may help you pick up extra cash, too.

I'll draw on my experiences at the poker table to make complicated poker analysis easy to understand. I'll use sophisticated software to simulate interesting poker hands so that you'll know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. I'll share personal stories that help support the poker lesson of the week, plus let you in on poker secrets that every player needs to know.

In the weeks ahead, I'll cover a wide array of issues such as: how to play against strong and weak players; what to expect when you sit down in your first tournament; the importance of table position; aggressive play versus conservative play; and how to quickly calculate pot odds.

In future columns I'll introduce you to some less familiar poker games that are a lot of fun. You'll learn about classic poker games like Omaha and 7 Card Stud, and you'll discover some new games, too. Have you ever heard of Razz or Pineapple? Well, you will and you'll be ahead of the curve when these games make it to your poker table. There's so much I want to share with you.

I'm always interested to learn what's important to you, so I invite you to visit my Web site to submit your questions and comments. I know you're as excited about the game of poker as I am. So, let's shuffle up and deal.

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