He is young, dynamic, and rich. He has won many international tournaments and is recognized as one of the best in the world at what he does. Now he is giving a bunch of college amateurs a chance to enter his lair and challenge the master.
Until March 16 students can participate in the Daniel Negreanu Canadian College Poker Championship. This tournament gives would-be poker players a chance to win a $9,000 scholarship from Mr. Sub, along with the opportunity to play Negreanu-Canada’s best tournament poker player-for an additional $1,000 scholarship from lifesports.com, the tournament’s organizer.
Just picture the gold-plated notepads and diamond-encrusted pens one could buy with $9,000.
Daniel Negreanu (a.k.a “Kid Poker”) won his first big poker tournament, the World Poker Finals, in 1997 when he was just 23. At the time he was the youngest winner of that prestigious event, and he has since followed that victory with multiple wins at the World Series of Poker and L.A. Poker Classic events, and strong finishes at many other contests.
“You can win your tuition at this event, and any time there is a prize you’re going to see competitive people. There are really good players in this tournament,” said Negreanu.
“Playing poker is a great way to socialize and make friends. It helps teach life skills and people skills, and mirrors life in so many ways,” added Kid Poker.
His youth in an older field earned Negreanu his now-famous moniker: “When I started playing there weren’t any young players. All the older guys called me ‘Kid’.”
Negreanu’s tournament started on January 24, and over the span of eight weeks the original field of 2,000 has been narrowed down in biweekly competitions. By the end of the event, six survivors will battle it out for the scholarship in a championship that will be broadcast nationally.
There is nothing at risk and everything to gain for students involved in this tournament. Participants spend no real money and everyone involved has the chance of having an extra nine grand to put towards books and tuition.
Though Negreanu has made a living off for-profit poker tournaments, he wants to teach students that they can also play games just for fun: “It’s really important to be aware that poker and gambling are not synonymous. You can also play monopoly for money and I know because I have done it. But none of these games has to involve money.”
Negreanu is also involved in another contest at fullcontactpoker.com. The winner of a tournament on that site will get to hit the road with Kid Poker as the star’s protégé for four months.
“For four months I am going to take the winner on the road and teach them everything I know,” said Negreanu.
