Every year, win or lose, Daniel Negreanu shows his tournament results to everyone. 2023 was a difficult year for GGPoker's main ambassador.
The Hall of Famer made a 23-minute YouTube video talking about it, like anyone who loses over $2 million does. "This is what being accountable looks like," he says.
Last year, Negreanu focused mainly on participating in the WSOP and PokerGO Tour high roller tournaments. In addition to seeking profit, his main objective was to win the title of WSOP Player of the Year, something he has achieved twice in the past (in 2004 and 2013), and to win WSOP bracelets, which has not happened in a decade, since 2013. For the thousands of fans who follow his vlogs over the summer, it's no secret that he's faced some significant losses, especially in the World Series, where he lost nearly $1.9 million over the past two years.
However, Negreanu is one of the rare high-profile players who publicly shares his winnings and losses, and he has also struggled in PGT events throughout the year.
What Happened in 2023 for Daniel Negreanu to Lose $2.2 Million?
But what exactly went wrong for the veteran pro in 2023?
Negreanu pointed to some of his recent decisions, both on and off the felt. “I ended up participating in a lot of tournaments in a short space of time,” he said. "Part of that was because of some side bets I made that weren't even that big or important, like the bet to finish ahead of Alex Foxen and Cary Catz in the PokerGO Tour rankings."
Negreanu also mentioned bad luck at crucial moments in tournaments and in decisive all-ins. Those who followed his summer vlogs were able to see countless moments in which the Canadian lost hands in which he was ahead of his opponents in decisive situations.
Another factor contributing to Negreanu's $2,228,174 deficit in 2023 was his lack of big wins. His biggest cash last year was $200,000, won in a $100,000 heads-up challenge against Doug Polk in PokerGO's High Stakes Duel IV. In contrast, in 2022, he ended the year with a profit of $1.6 million, thanks to the impressive $3.3 million he won in the Super High Roller Bowl, a $300,000 buy-in event.
Negreanu's best year in the last decade was in 2014, when he had the biggest cash of his career, $8.3 million, in the WSOP's $1 million buy-in event, known as Big One for One Drop, at which he came second to Dan Colman.
More recently, we managed to get an exclusive interview with 2023's Big One for One Drop winner – Mikita Badziakouski.
Daniel's Winnings Over the Last Decade
Despite the challenges facing 2023, Negreanu remains a respected and admired professional player, and his fans are eager to see what he brings to the poker tables in the future.
Below are Daniel Negreanu's results over the last 10 years:
| Year | Result (in USD) |
|---|---|
| 2013 | +$1,963,500 |
| 2014 | +$7,100,164 |
| 2015 | +$952,920 |
| 2016 | -$1,246,693 |
| 2017 | -$86,640 |
| 2018 | +$1,412,053 |
| 2019 | +$831,891 |
| 2021 | +$584,023 |
| 2022 | +$1,625,545 |
| 2023 | -$2,228,174 |
| TOTAL | +$10,908,589 |
For 2024, Daniel shared his strategies to avoid another catastrophic year in 2024.
With his characteristic sense of humor, he joked that his first change would be to have more luck. However, he also revealed that he will no longer pursue the WSOP Player of the Year title. Negreanu explained that pursuing this symbolic title compromises the quality of his game. By prioritizing the volume of games over results, he ends up suffering physical and mental exhaustion. Instead, the GGPoker golden boy aims to focus on quality over quantity.
New Year New Life
After thoroughly analyzing his disappointing performance in 2023, Daniel Negreanu started 2024 on the right foot. Yesterday, he claimed victory in the first event of the PGT Last Chance series, Event #1: $10,100. In heads-up play, the Canadian pro defeated Daniel Smiljkovic and pocketed $218,400. With 91 participants, the tournament awarded prizes to a total of 13 players.
On social media, Negreanu celebrated his victory, reaffirming his commitment to prioritizing quality over quantity in 2024:
"I started the year on the right foot! As I promised in my last video, I am focused on offering my best in each match. So I'm taking a day off tomorrow and won't play again until I'm rested and prepared. The last hand was really interesting. I'm extremely pleased with my performance today!"
PGT Last Chance marks the end of the PokerGO Tour season, where the top 40 players in the rankings, along with some guests, will compete in a Freeroll with a total prize pool of $1,000,000, the PGT Championship. The initial value of the chips will be determined according to the ranking score. With this victory, Negreanu practically guaranteed his presence in the tournament.
Final result of Event #1: $10,100 (prize dollars):
Daniel Negreanu (Canada) – $218,400
Daniel Smiljkovic (Russia) – $150,150
Masashi Oya (Japan) – $113,750
Justin Bonomo (USA) – $91,000
Jonathan Cohen (Canada) – $72,800
David Peters (USA) – $54,600
Isaac Haxton (USA) – $45,500
Nick Schulman (USA) – $36,400
Jonathan Little (USA) – $31,850
Ping Liu (USA) – $31,850
Justin Saliba (USA) – $27,300
Lewis Spencer (England) – $18,200
Kristen Foxen (Canada) – $18,200
Negreanu's victory can be seen in the video below:
