Daniel Negreanu, the Vegan Poker Pro

Who is Daniel Negreanu?

Daniel Negreanu is a professional poker player from Toronto, Canada who now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. In total, Negreanu has won more than $50,000,000 in tournaments which makes him the third richest live tournament poker winner of all time. He was named Global Poker Index’s ‘Poker Player of the Decade’ in 2014.

Negreanu, also known as ‘Kid Poker’ and ‘DNegs', was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2014. This follows him being named the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year in 2004 and 2013, where he is the only player to receive the honour more than once, and the World Poker Tour (WPT) Player of the Year for 2004-2005. Negreanu is the winner of six World Series of Poker bracelets, which he was the youngest person to ever win in 1998, and two World Poker Tour championship titles.

In addition to his accomplished poker career, Negreanu also has a YouTube channel with over 729,000 subscribers. His channel is one of the most popular poker YouTube channels for those interested in the game. Negreanu’s most famous videos are his annual WSOP vlogs, where he posts on his channel daily throughout the event.

Why did Daniel Negreanu become vegan?

Dan Negreanu has been vegetarian since 2000 but it was not until 2006 that he made the switch to a plant-based diet.

Back in 2000, Negreanu was struggling with digestive issues and fatigue. He was following the stereotypical diet of a poker player which included plenty of alcohol and processed food. Once Negreanu adopted a vegetarian lifestyle, these issues improved greatly.

Despite having more energy and much better digestion, his peers mocked him for switching diets. In an interview with Vice, the poker champion says that there is this “idea that ‘real men eat meat’ and [my friends would] eat piles of crap around the table, like mounds of dead animals every hour.”

In 2006, Negreanu became vegan as he wanted to take his healthy eating a step further. He takes his nutrition seriously as a vegan so that he can play poker to the best of his ability. Some of Negreanu’s favourite vegan restaurants in Las Vegas are located in The Wynn Encore Resort.

Although his vegan journey began because of health reasons, Negreanu is now an advocate for the environment and animal welfare. He believes the vegan lifestyle is the most sustainable and ethical, having spoken out against animal cruelty before.