Daniel Negreanu made his second appearance on Poker League of Nations Facebook Live. Friday’s session, now archived and available anytime, has had 1,200 views. Here are some of the highlights from his hour-long chat.
During isolation with his wife Amanda, Negreanu is playing six hours of online poker a day in private high-stakes mixed games. He’s also slimmed down (30 pounds!) and buffed up thanks to careful eating (1,950 calories a day) and weight lifting. “My wife and I are introverts anyway,” he said. So, they don’t mind staying home, binging TV shows, reading books and playing Wordscapes online.
Negreanu doesn’t see live poker coming back in the near future. “I think it will be one of the last casino activities to return,” he said. Like many of us, he would love to see online poker legalized in the U.S. during the Covid19 outbreak. But he doesn’t see it happening because legislators have much bigger fish to fry now.
For now, we have to be content with online poker, and since Negreanu is an ambassador for GGPoker, he gave a quick pitch for GGPoker/WSOP Super Circuit Online Series, May 3 through May 31. Eighteen ring events headline the series along with 595 satellites and events and over $100,000,000 in guaranteed prize money.
From viewer questions, he offered expertise and tips:
— Biggest mistake he sees amateurs make: If you’re first to act and your hand is good enough to play, it’s good enough to raise. The exception is in the small blind, call a lot.
— Live vs. online reads: Online it’s far more important to focus on the fundamentals than on reading players. That said, there are online tells such as timing tells. And you can track how people play and take notes.
— Advice for first-time WSOP main event player: For the first two hours, just get comfortable. Play standard poker and settle in. With two-hour levels, you have plenty of time. Avoid worrying about the average stack size. If you have 24BB, you’re doing great.
— How to maintain focus during long tournaments: That’s never been a problem for Negreanu, but when your focus waivers, he recommends taking three deep breaths and slow down. Take your time on a hand if you need it. Analyze the action, pay attention to your first instinct.
— How about limping in early position with small pairs 55 and under? It’s fine to limp in on the long shot hoping to hit a set.
— For short-stack play (10-11 big blinds), he recommends the SnapShove app to help get a better feel for when to shove and when to fold in all positions.
— Final table play with a medium stack: Play carefully, avoid risks, control the pot size, be wary of the big stacks and let others knock each other out. The goal is to ladder up.
— How to play when you raise, get called and don’t hit the flop: With more callers, it’s more likely that someone hit the flop, so play fit or fold in that case. With one caller, assess the type of player you’re up against and act accordingly. For example, if they fold too much, bet the flop. If they call or raise, fold.
— Card dead? Two strategies – 1. Be patient. 2. Use your tight image and occasionally raise big with anything.
— Ultra-aggressive opponents: Don’t play their game, play your game. “Wait for the nuts and rip it in their face.”
Want more poker advice from Negreanu? Join him Wednesday May 6 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on MasterClassLive on YouTube where he will review hand histories and answer more questions.