Daniel Negreanu’s dry spell continues as he was again close, but no cigar. The poker legend is still searching for his first win on the poker scene since 2015. That’s where we’ll start this week’s recap of the poker news headlines.
Smith Edges Negreanu In WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic
Daniel Negreanu is a legend when it comes to poker. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014, has been named the World Series of Poker Player of the Year in 2004 and 2013, and has earned over $35 million in live cash. However, Negreanu has experienced a long, winless stretch that was extended by Dan Smith this week. Negreanu, who hasn’t won a tournament since May 2015, came in second place to Smith at the World Poker Tour Five Diamond World Poker Classic $100,000 Super High Roller event. Smith won $1,404,000 while Negreanu took home $936,000. Stefan Schillhabel took home $624,000 in third place, Isaac Haxton raked in $390,000 and Sergio Aido was in fifth place with $312,000.
For Smith, it was his first win since a victory in an Aria High Roller event in Las Vegas in July. Negreanu shouldn’t feel too bad collecting nearly a million in winnings in this “loss.” And Smith is no slouch as he’s now collected over $19 million in live-cash earnings.
Lees Wins WSOP Sydney Event Over Velcic
John Lees has won the World Series of Poker Sydney event, which was the first tournament on the World Series of Poker Circuit slate. The event brought in 1,357 players in a resounding success. It ended up with Lees and Matthew Velcic surviving the field and going heads-up for the win. Velcic was actually leading the chip count coming into the final battle with Lees, who was down by almost a million chips. However, Lees quickly took command of the heads-up battle and he would eventually go home with $105,416. Velcic won $65,539 for second place. Carlos Youssef earned $47,881 in winnings for third place, while David “2-Card Fufu” Dai took home $36,400 in fourth place. Daniel Franks rounded out the top five with $27,711.
It’s just the beginning for the action at Star Poker Room, which will be hosting events on the Word Series of Poker Sydney Circuit from now until December 18.
Foxwoods Resort Casino To Host Challenge
It’s been announced that the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut will be hosting the Mega Stack Challenge, which will see a total of 12 tournaments throughout the event. There is a guaranteed prize pool of $1 million for these events, which kick off with a $600 No-Limit Hold ’Em tournament where $500,000 will be on the table. The biggest tournament will be played on December 9 where there will be a buy-in of $1,650 with $250,000 up for grabs.