Daniel Negreanu lost just over $2.2 million in live tournaments last year, but he’s already booked a tournament win and cut into that deficit in 2024.
The Poker Hall of Famer took down the first event of the PokerGO Tour’s Last Chance Series, a $10,100 no-limit hold’em tournament that attracted 91 entrants to the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas on Tuesday. In the middle of the night, he wrapped up the victory with a lucky four-outer on the river to secure a $218,400 score, larger than any cash he earned in 2023.
Daniel Negreanu Loses $2.2 Million in 2023
The Start of Big Things to Come in 2023?
In a 23-minute YouTube video earlier this week, Negreanu laid out his plans to change it up and produce a winning year in 2024. One proclamation he made is to run better. He might be on to something after having two crucial pots go his way, one against his bitter rival Justin Bonomo.
At the final table, he went all in preflop with ace-king for his tournament life against Bonomo’s pocket queens. A king on the flop would send “DNegs” the pot, while leaving Bonomo, the poker player he’s been feuding with for weeks on X over the Israel-Palestine war, with crumbs.
Bonomo was out in fourth place for $91,000, putting him over the $63.3 million mark on The Hendon Mob, only trailing Bryn Kenney all-time ($65.1 million).
PokerGO Tour Event #1 Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Negreanu | $218,400 |
| 2 | Daniel Smiljkovic | $150,150 |
| 3 | Masashi Oya | $113,750 |
| 4 | Justin Bonomo | $91,000 |
| 5 | Jonathan Cohen | $72,800 |
| 6 | David Peters | $54,600 |
| 7 | Isaac Haxton | $45,500 |
As for Negreanu, who seemed to lose an absurd amount of races during the 2022 and 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP), winning that race propelled him into the chip lead.
After Masashi Oya was eliminated in third place ($113,750), Negreanu went heads-up for the title against Daniel Smiljkovic, and the ending was quite dramatic.
With the blinds at 75,000/150,000, Negreanu limped the button with A♥K♥, while Smiljkovic checked his option with J♦2♦. The flop came out 10♦J♥J♣, trips for the big blind who checked it to the six-time WSOP bracelet winner.
Negreanu, with a straight draw, bet 150,000 before calling a check-raise to 550,000. The turn was an uneventful 4♣ and Smiljkovic this time bet out 1,300,000, just under the size of the pot. Despite having just ace-high with a gut-shot straight draw, Negreanu wasn’t a believer and moved all in.
Smiljkovic, who had about 2 million fewer chips than his opponent, snap-called as a huge favorite to win the hand. But the Q♥ on the river completed the four-outer straight, which ended the tournament at around 2 a.m. in Las Vegas. The runner-up received $150,150, and the champion took home $218,400.
PokerGO Tour Last Chance Series Remaining Schedule
| DATE | TOURNAMENT |
|---|---|
| Jan. 3 | Event #2: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em |
| Jan. 4 | Event #3: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em |
| Jan. 5 | Event #4: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em |
| Jan. 6 | Event #5: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em |
| Jan. 7 | Event #6: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em |
| Jan. 9 | PokerGO Tour Championship 2023 |
*Featured image courtesy of PokerGO.