The name Daniel Negreanu certainly needs no introduction. He's a legendary professional poker player whose name is familiar to many a non-poker fan.
Kid Poker is no longer a Kid
Daniel Negreanu earned the nickname Kid Poker many years ago. However, he can now change it to Senior Poker as he celebrated his 50th birthday on Friday, July 26. Next year, he can already sit in the WSOP Senior event, where the minimum age requirement is 50 years old.
Daniel Negreanu's beginnings
Daniel is originally from Canada, where he started playing poker in the 1990s. He moved to Las Vegas in his 20s, and since 1997 we know his first live tournament results. His first tournament win came in Heavenly Hold'em in Los Angeles, specifically in a $225 Limit Hold'em tournament where he took home $18,800.
After this initial success, his winnings were already bursting. He won his first WSOP bracelet back in 1998 when he won the $2,000 Hold'em Pot Limit for $169,460. In total, Daniel has now won 7 WSOP bracelets, and the most recent one was won after an 11 year wait during the recently concluded WSOP in Las Vegas.
In addition to the bracelets, he also has two WPT titles, an SCOOP title and a WCOOP title to his name. He has won the WSOP Player of the Year twice, the WPT Player of the Year once, and was named Card Player magazine's "Favorite Poker Player" at the 2006 Player of the Year Awards. In 2007, he received his first sponsorship from PokerStars. In 2014, Daniel was inducted into the WSOP Hall of Fame. He currently has a sponsorship deal with GGPoker.
In total, he has nearly $54 million in winnings and his highest win comes from back in 2014 when he finished second in the million-dollar The Big One for One Drop, taking home $8,288,001.
Phil Hellmuth is now in his sixties
The record holder for most gold bracelets, Phil Hellmuth, celebrated his 60th birthday on July 16. Phil can now play the Super Senior event at the WSOP starting next year, where the minimum age requirement is 60.
A brief history of Phil Hellmuth
1987 - This is the year of Phil's first tournament entry. His first WSOP bracelet came in 1989, when he won the Main Event as a 24-year-old and took home a $755,000 prize. Another bracelet came in 1992, and in 2012 Phil won the WSOP Europe Main Event, taking home €1,022,376. His last bracelet came in 2023, when he won the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty tournament, taking home $803,818.
In total, Phil has a record 17 gold bracelets and total live tournament earnings of more than $30 million. His highest tournament payday came back in 2012 when he finished 4th in the million-dollar The Big One for One Drop and took home $2,645,333.
Thecelebrations took place two months ago
Although Phil only recently celebrated his 60th birthday, the big celebrations were still taking place in early May. As Phil himself told us on his Twitter (X), several billionaires, celebrities and famous athletes attended his birthday party. For example, NBA player Draymond Green and even Elon Musk were present.
Best birthday ever! Uhhhh...Early bday celebration, that is... #POSITIVITY
- phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) May 13, 2024
Phil Hellmuth Celebrates 60th in 'Las Vegas Billionaire Bash' Two Months Before Birthday; Elon Musk Makes Apperance | PokerNews https://t.co/lJMWsSZdvv
We wish both legends a happy birthday and much continued success in their poker careers.
Source - twitter, wikipedia, hendonmob, pokernews, pokergo, las vegas review journal
