Daniel Negreanu
I first met
Daniel Negreanu during E3 2005 where I had a chance to interview him
about his STACKED video game. It only takes a few minutes to realize
why he is a fan favorite. Daniel is very genuine
with everyone he meets regardless of how many times he may have
heard the same questions.
We
were pretty sure he hasn't been asked most of these;
The
first question
comes from Clonie Gowen,
CG:
Who is the sickest
gambler ever?
DN:
Man, that’s
a tough one. It’s a toss up between my two good buddies Erick
Lindgren and Phil Ivey.
LaB: Is your name really Daniel Negreanu?
DN:
Actually it’s
Danilov Nagasovic, but I figured that Daniel Negreanu was a much
more common name that would be easier for people
to pronounce. It was either Daniel Negreanu or Chuck Steele.
LaB:
How do you pronounce that?… Danny-ell? Or Dan-yell?
DN: Dan-yell.
LaB:
Your Mom makes you meals during your larger tournaments and sessions…does
she get a cut and does she cater?
DN:
She used to cater actually, for Phil Ivey, Allen Cunningham,
and Layne Flack. The year my mother
made Ivey food he won three bracelets
and all he got her was some lousy flowers. I take much better care
of her, bought her a house and all…
LaB: If you were in jail
would she bake a cake for you and include a nail file?
DN:
She’d go a step further and convince the cops that she’d
give me a beating at home I’d never forget. That she could
discipline me better than they could. She’d then feed the cops,
and they’d have no choice but to let me go.
LaB: Would she drive the get away car?
DN:
She’s a terrible driver. I would drive while she closed
her eyes and said, “Daniel, don’t go so fast. You’ll
get a ticket.”
LaB: Are you a part of a long standing secret Canadian plot to send
comics and entertainers to the US to undermine its culture and take
over from the inside out?
DN:
First rule of C-Club, don’t talk about C-Club. Second
rule of C-Club, don’t talk about C-Club… you get the
picture.
LaB: Who would
you like to see yourself go against in MTV’s
Celebrity Death Match?? (is that show on anymore?)
DN:
Angelina Jolie. Why?… er,
just cause.
LaB: Poti tu speak si a
scrie înauntru Român?
DN:
I can speak Romanian and understand it, but I don’t read
or write it too well.
LaB: Hockey
season is here…your
pick for the Super Bowl champion?
DN:
Idiot, you must be American! It’s the Stanley Cup and
I like the Anaheim Ducks (they dropped the Mighty part).
LaB: Everyone suggests that Ed Norton should play you in a movie.
Who would play you in a cartoon?
DN:
I’m thinking David
Spade cause he has that annoying nasally voice that often sounds
a lot like mine.
LaB: What is the craziest thing you have seen someone do in a poker
game?
DN:
I didn’t actually
see it, but Stu Ungar actually peeing on the dealer is right up
there on the list of craziest things anyone
has ever done at a poker table.
LaB: How about craziest prop bet you ever made and won?
DN: Well, one night at a playoff game in Sacramento between the
Spurs and Kings, Phil Ivey and I were hiding bottle caps under our
shoe and making the other guy guess what side is up. We were playing
for $10,000 a pop and we ended up even in the end.
LaB: What’s with Mike
Matusow?
DN:
He’s just a kid in a man’s body. Couldn’t
hurt a fly and is totally harmless. I can take Mike in small doses,
after a while he gets on my nerves too, so you’re not alone
there.
LaB: You are the producer
of a reality show…. 6 poker players
in a house. Name the players, location, & first person voted
out.
DN: Has to be in Vegas.
Sam Grizzle
for sure. This guy is hilarious
Phil
Hellmuth. Without a doubt, he’d be the first to go.
Angelina
Jolie… er, just cause. I know she doesn’t
really play poker but she can learn!
Eskimo Clark. The dude needs a place to sleep, shave, and take a
shower. Life in the van has to end sooner or later no?
Me.
It would be fun to be there and listen to Sam Grizzle jab at
Hellmuth.
Plus… “you know who” would
be there.
Mike
Matusow. If I’m on the show, I’d need to have a
guy in my pocket that I could manipulate mentally so he’d vote
how I told him to. Mike’s mellonhead would be a piece of cake.
LaB: Did we land on the moon?
DN:
Ok, this interviewer is definitely on something. Wasn’t
sure till right then.
LaB: If yes… what
about the Van Allen Belts??
DN: Huh?
LaB: If no…. then
explain where cheese comes from?
DN:
Definitely tripping. That stuff will kill you buddy, “just
say no.”
LaB: Would you rather… sit in a room with Phil Hellmuth and
listen to him talk about himself all day…. OR… would
you rather jump off a cliff?
DN:
Listen to Hellmuth. It’s great material for my blog (which
you can find at www.fullcontactpoker.com, that’s fullcontactpoker.com).
When Phil and I play poker, we don’t just play poker, we play
Full Contact Poker. In your face, Full
Contact Poker.
(Hellmuth has
been teaching me how to be subtle when plugging products or endorsements)
Daniel’s question for the next Life’s A Bluff ‘Random
Questions’ interview;
DN:
Daniel Negreanu has widely been recognized as the sexiest
man in poker, what do you attribute that to?
Recently answered by Gavin
Smith & JJ Liu.
A big thanks to Daniel for
his time. If you would like to know more about DN and don’t
know where to look. Try fullcontactpoker.com and they may be able
to point you in the right direction. ;)
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