In a move that might come as a massive shock to the poker community, Daniel Negreanu has resigned as an ambassador for PokerStars, the online poker site he’s represented for 12 years. The newlywed’s decision comes just days before the start of the 2019 World Series of poker.
Kid Poker’s departure means Chris Moneymaker is the lone poker boom era Team Pro member remaining. Pros such as Jason Mercier, Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Selbst, and CardsChat ambassador Jeff Gross have all left within the past two years.
Many former PokerStars pros have left for Partypoker, including Gross and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. More recently, Jaime Staples made the switch.
Surprising Move
While many other big name pros have ditched PokerStars, none have been as shocking as Daniel Negreanu. He was the main face of the company for many years. When you think of PokerStars, DNegs’ face is likely to pop up in your head.
Kid Poker, who married former poker media member Amanda Leatherman last weekend, announced his decision in a brief Twitter video.
I have an announcement I’d like to share with you all about my time with @pokerstars pic.twitter.com/qqY3ABPOTw
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) May 23, 2019
Negreanu didn’t explain his reasoning for leaving the poker site. And he didn’t specify future sponsorship plans, if any exist. But given how outspoken and polarizing he is, we expect to uncover more details in the coming days.
The breakup doesn’t appear to be controversial, however. PokerStars’ Twitter account even thanked him for his service to the company and Moneymaker wished him well. DNegs was also complimentary towards the poker site he long represented.
“To all to the great people working for the company, I wish you all the best and while this is a goodbye, let’s make it a “see you later,” he wrote.
Controversies Surrounding His Tenure at PokerStars
Negreanu is one of the top poker ambassadors in history. So, when he stood behind certain PokerStars decisions that some felt didn’t have the poker community’s best interests in mind, he took some heat.
A few years ago when Daniel defended the online poker site when it dropped the Supernova Elite rewards program that benefited high-stakes grinders, many bashed the poker pro. When Negreanu stood behind the poker site’s decision to increase rake, pros such as Doug Polk let him have it.
Polk has since constantly mocked Negreanu with a “more rake is better” meme. He even spent thousands of dollars last year at the WSOP to purchase a billboard outside the Rio which read, “MoreRakeIsBetter.com.”
Others have questioned his integrity in recent years. Some, including Shaun Deeb, claim he hasn’t been a good ambassador because he is more concerned with the money PokerStars pays him than the best interests of the poker community.
Deeb, who feuded with Negreanu recently over poker staking, left a message for Kid Poker following his Thursday announcement.
“I hope you find time to be the ambassador for poker players I’ve known you always could be,” he wrote on Twitter.
Love him or hate him, few, if any, have brought more people to the game than Daniel Negreanu. And that’s a fact that even his detractors can’t dispute.
