Home : Magazine : Vol. 18, No. 12 : Bring 'Em On! A unique high-stakes challenge to the public

Bring 'Em On! A unique high-stakes challenge to the public

by Mike Sexton |  Published: Jun 28, 2005

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Unless you've been living under a rock the past year, you know that Daniel Negreanu is "the man" in poker right now. He had a year the likes of which we might not see again in poker. It seemed like he won everything. He was the World Poker Tour Player of the Year, the Card Player Player of the Year, and the best all-around player at the World Series of Poker. And perhaps most important, he won more than $4.5 million! What I appreciate about Negreanu as much as his poker ability is that he gives back to the poker community. He helps with seminars when asked, he's writing a book about no-limit hold'em, he writes a poker column for Card Player, and I've never seen him fail to sign an autograph or talk to the "little guys" who ask him poker questions. This column, however, is not about his accomplishments, his friendliness, or his good deeds. It's about the "wow" of his high-stakes challenge to the public - which is, "Bring 'Em On!"
Mike Sexton and Daniel Negreanu
Negreanu was recently appointed the poker ambassador for the new Wynn Las Vegas. To help create press and stimulate interest in the room, and because "it's fun for me," Daniel decided to challenge any player to any one of nine games they wish to play (limit hold'em, pot-limit hold'em, no-limit hold'em, seven-card stud, stud eight-or-better, pot-limit Omaha, Omaha eight-or-better, ace-to-five triple-draw lowball, or triple-draw deuce-to-seven) for a minimum of $100,000 up to a maximum of $500,000! I must say, that intrigues me. In a way, it reminds me of Hall of Fame poker player Puggy Pearson. Puggy bought a bus a number of years back and put a message in big print on the side of it that read: "I'll play any man from any land, any game that he can name, for any amount that he can count." But in fine print at the bottom of the bus, it read: " … provided I like it." The difference here is that Daniel's challenge doesn't include any fine print. He will play anybody in any of the listed games. He said he's not ducking anyone!

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Big deal. It's a scam, or Steve Wynn is putting up the dough for Daniel to play." Wrong. It is for real, and Daniel is putting up all of his own money to play. Win or lose, Daniel said he will enjoy it, and knows it will make him a better player.

I've been around poker for a long time, and no one has ever challenged the best players in the world, played them at their best game, and played them for this kind of money! To do so takes a lot of confidence in your abilities and tons of heart (to say nothing of a big bankroll).

My first impression is that Daniel will be taking 10 percent to 20 percent the worst of it in most of these matches. He'll be playing the best cash game players at their best game. He will, however, have the advantage of "home court" and experience as he plays more of these matches (meaning the challenger will likely be more nervous than Daniel). And on the plus side, there's a good chance that some rich businessmen will play him for the thrill of it, and Daniel will have the best of it.

Let me say this: Whoever wins these freezeouts won't necessarily be the "best player." It will just mean they played well or got lucky that day (and got a lot richer). If, however, two players played every day for a year against each other, the best player would be determined.

When I spoke with Daniel about these challenge matches, several questions immediately popped into my mind. First, I wanted to know if he was filming them. He said he hadn't yet filmed them, and I suggested that he should. Second, I was curious how far he would go before he pulled up. He said he would pull up if he lost $3 million. And third, I wanted to know who had contacted him about playing.

As of this writing, he's played two matches, both in limit hold'em. One was against David Oppenheim for 200K and the other was against Mimi Tran for 500K. He lost to David and beat Mimi. So far, so good for Daniel, as he is up 300K. Others who have contacted Daniel about filling out his dance card include Johnny Chan (no-limit hold'em), Sammy Farha (pot-limit Omaha), Eli Elezra (mixed games), Phil Ivey (seven-card stud and perhaps more), Joe Cassidy (limit hold'em), and Barry Greenstein (who wants to play him separate freezeouts in all nine games).

One thing I'm sure of is that Daniel will get plenty of action. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out. In the meantime, if you've got a game you like and $100,000-$500,000 to spare, give Daniel a call. And good luck!

Mike Sexton is the host of PartyPoker.com, a commentator on the World Poker Tour (which can be seen every Wednesday on the Travel Channel), and the author of WPT - Shuffle Up and Deal (which is on The New York Times bestseller list). It is available at www.CardPlayer.com.
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Vol. 18, No. 12