Off the Felt with Daniel Negreanu
Off the Felt is interviewing your favorite poker players to find out a little bit about their lives — you got it, off the felt. Daniel Negreanu sat down with us to tell us a little bit about his football and hockey drafts, how much it would take for him to eat some meat, and what happened to him in the bathroom during a poker tournament.
What is one song you can’t quit playing on your iPod?
Redemption Song by Bob Marley.
Do you have any superstitions at the poker table or before you begin a tournament?
I’m really not superstitious, but the only thing I don’t like is $50 bills in any format. Like especially American $50 bills, they’re annoying to me and I don’t accept them. I think they’re weird. Like if you have just one, what do you do with that?
What was your first job?
I was a sandwich artist.
What is your favorite food to eat?
I’m going to go with falafel.
How much would it take for you to eat a cheeseburger?
First of all, it depends on the quantity.
What about whole cheeseburger?
I think it has to be $875,000. It would make me sick so I would have to gauge how much I want to be sick. I would absolutely, no question about it, if I ate a cheeseburger I would be ill.
What would you be doing if you weren’t playing poker?
A professional golfer.
Where is your favorite tournament stop?
I’m going to go with Barcelona because it’s the nicest vacation city I’ve ever been to.
Who is your favorite band or musician?
Bob Marley. Or No Doubt. I like Gwen Stefani. And I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
How do you feel about your Caesars Cup team?
I think we definitely have a lot more experience on our side. I think because of age, our opponents have more experience in this format. And our team member that we haven’t announced yet, is the one I’m most excited about. He’s our ace in the hole.
Tell me about your Fantasy Football and Hockey drafts.
Still working on it. But I did my football picks on the 10th and 11th and hockey is on the 23rd.
Do you have any big picks for your hockey team?
The way mine is set up, the rosters are incredible. I spend 100 hours just on coming up with my junior draft, cause I draft like kids, you know like 18-year-olds and under. So it’s a lot of work because you don’t know what you’re going to get. I’ve had my team for ten years.
Do you have any predictions for the WSOP Final Table?
I predict that Phil Ivey is about 3.8:1 to win. I think his biggest obstacle will be Jeff Schulman because I think Schulman will take it personal and go nuts against Phil and that could be bad for Phil’s mojo.
Twitter or Facebook?
Twitter.
Why?
Because all I look at on Facebook is status updates anyway and that’s exactly what Twitter is.
If you had to choose one, would you never golf again or never win another tournament?
What?! What kind of choice is that?! As much as this sucks, I would never play golf again.
If you could live anywhere, where would you live and why?
If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live in Las Vegas because that’s my favorite city and when I first came here, I knew it was home.
Where is the weirdest place you’ve ever been asked for an autograph?
In the bathroom. I actually had penis in hand.
Are you kidding?!
No, the guy is trying to shake my hand and ask for an autograph.
What is your favorite TV show?
I have so many on the list. Curb Your Enthusiasm. I think it’s the funniest show on television.
If you could pick anyone to star you in a movie about your life, who would it be?
Well the obvious choice is Edward Norton. So I would have to go with him.
What is your greatest poker achievement?
2004. The 5 Diamond, coming into the final table with the biggest chip lead in history, winning player of the year, winning everything. Just having an amazing year. So 2004 was it.
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