For over two decades, Daniel Negreanu has been one of the most prominent faces in the poker world. Affable and quick to offer his opinion, the 51-year-old poker pro regularly weighs in on issues relevant to card players.
With decades in the game and almost $57 million in live tournament winnings, Negreanu brings some credibility to his opinions that many in the game can’t boast.
His poker resumé includes the following:
- Almost $57 million in winnings in live poker tournaments
- Seven World Series of Poker bracelets
- Two World Poker Tour titles
Negreanu’s Poker Nous
Negreanu has also been a brand ambassador for multiple online poker brands for years.
On Twitter, he has almost 572,000 followers, and on YouTube, he has more than 900,000 subscribers. His popular vlogs from the WSOP, which rack up hundreds of thousands of views, are also a hit.
Negreanu, who is originally from Toronto, Canada, and now resides in Las Vegas, is always willing to utilise his platform to share his opinions, suggestions, and views on the industry.
Here's a quick look at some of what Negreanu has been weighing in on over the last few months.
Banning Masks & Sunglasses at the Poker Table
In December 2024, Negreanu Tweeted that anything covering the face – such as facemasks and sunglasses – should be banned. Poker fans have become accustomed to seeing some players donning sunglasses for years.
Poker rule changes I would vote for:
1. No face covering of any sort.
2. No Sunglasses.
3. If a player bets 90% or more of their stack, it is an all in.
4. No card protectors allowed on the table.
-Improve player/viewer experience
-Protect the game— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) December 21, 2024
A pair of shades is almost another form of a poker cheat sheet. They don’t allow opponents to see your eyes, concealing possible tells. Negreanu believes sunglasses should be reserved for the beach or walking down the Vegas Strip – not the poker table.
Negreanu also shared similar thoughts on masks, which have become more prevalent at the table in recent years, particularly since the pandemic.
His changes to the sunglasses/mask debate were short and sweet, and include an additional rule change to the tournament regarding betting and leaving a small amount behind, as well as other concerns:
- No face covering of any sort.
- No sunglasses.
- If a player bets 90% or more of their stack, they would be all-in.
- No card protectors allowed on the table.
After making those recommendations, he noted that the changes would “improve player/viewer experience” and “protect the game.”
He believes the no sunglasses/masks move would create a fair playing field for everyone, allowing players to observe all aspects of an opponent’s gestures at the table.
Most players agreed with Negreanu’s sunglass/mask changes, but some felt it should be up to individual players. Poker pro Dylan Weisman also offered another reason for wearing sunglasses at major final tables.
“No sunglasses rule is brutal for venues that have bright lights,” Weisman noted.
“During the Bahamas, the main table stage would shine bright lights in your face, which is not exactly great for people with light sensitivity.”
Tanking at the Tables
When playing online poker, players have a limited amount of time to decide whether to play a poker hand. The action moves quickly, and players are often on to the next hand in a matter of minutes, if not less.
At the live tables, that’s not always the case and the notion of tanking, taking a long time to act on even standard folding hands in a tournament’s later stages, has drawn the ire of many players.
Some habitual tankers enjoy taking extra time on television or poker streams, but many believe this slow play is detrimental to the game.
Some tours and events like the WPT have even enlisted “shot clocks” to keep the action moving. Players have a specific amount of time to act; with a few time extensions they can use at more critical moments.
Negreanu is undoubtedly one of those critics of slow play and has regularly aired his criticism. The issue resurfaces every few years, and the Poker Hall of Famer is always quick to advocate for speeding up the game.
“Okay, so first and foremost, it's very important to be clear,” he recently told Poker.org. “
You can make poker plays where you try to deceive your opponent, you execute a poker bluff, you bet, and you value bet. Stalling is not a poker play. It has nothing to do with the game, which means it is, by definition, an angle shoot.”
YouTube Issues
Another issue that has surfaced, drawing Negreanu's ire, is the crackdown on poker vloggers and content creators on the platform.
Channels from vlogger Brad Owen and Hustler Casino Live are just a few of those that have been affected after the platform announced in March that the company was making significant changes.
However, content creators have complained that the effort has been arbitrary, with some channels getting affected while others haven’t. Some also say that there is little recourse or communication from YouTube.
Negreanu has faced similar issues while streaming some of his online tournament play. His channel has been age-restricted, meaning that all viewers must log in to view his videos.
Age-restricted content is more difficult to find, even for adults, when viewers and subscribers are not logged in to see their YouTube home page.
“YouTube truly has a clear objective to destroy poker content,” he noted on Twitter.
“I stream this series every year, but this year all the streams were age-restricted within 10-15 minutes, which causes the algorithm to dwarf viewership. Roughly 75% drop to the average viewership over two weeks.”
This issue has spread in the poker content creation arena and will be something to watch in the coming months.
Poker Players on the Rise
As a player with plenty of insight on the best poker players of all time and currently in the game, Negreanu isn’t shy about who’s stepping up. That recently included a look at some stars on the rise.
"Earlier this year, I was asked, 'Who is one to watch?'" he recently tweeted. "My answer: Brandon Wilson."
Earlier this year I was asked “Who is one to watch?”
My answer:
Brandon Wilson
Tip of the hat to another young stud David Coleman earning the Poker Masters Purple Jacket.
Was a fun watch, and highly recommend watching it back to all you poker fans. https://t.co/EoEmONgqjf— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) October 3, 2025
Wilson hails from Chicago, Illinois, and has almost $8 million in live tournament winnings, including some huge recent scores:
- Three wins in PokerGO Tour events this year alone (2025)
- In September, he finished runner-up in a $50,000 buy-in Triton Poker high roller in South Korea for $1.5 million.
This year has been a real breakthrough for Wilson.
Negreanu also singled out another young player, David Coleman, who is finding plenty of success on the poker felt. It's been a remarkable few years for this player, originally from Livingston, New Jersey, who now resides in Las Vegas
Coleman has more than $12 million in live tournament winnings and recently finished atop the 2025 Poker Masters leaderboard to become series champion and win the prestigious purple jacket.
He secured one win, a runner-up finish, and two other cashes in the series. Last year also proved to be huge for Coleman, with five titles, 24 final table appearances, and $4.7 million in winnings.
“It was pretty surreal,” he told Card Player magazine. “Every time I made a deep run in a tournament, I'd be super grateful and appreciative. Then weeks later or months later, I’d be making a run on something else. It was like a never-ending dream. I felt like I couldn't lose an all-in, all year.”
Negreanu keeps fixated on the poker world, and no doubt, he’ll be pushing all-in with more opinions in the coming months and years.
