Negreanu and Hellmuth in Poker Masters Twitter War
September 21, 2017 10:38 amDaniel Negreanu bet on himself winning a purple jacket at the inaugural Poker Masters Series, but that honor has already gone to German pro Steffen Sontheimer, who has cashed at three tournaments (1st, 4th, and 5th) in the competition for $1,221,000, and now reached the final table of the $100,000 Championship event.
Other players who also made it through to the final table includes Fedor Holz, Christian Christner, Stefan Schillhabel, Justin Bonomo, and Seth Davies. Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu, on the other hand, fell in 13th and 11th place respectively for nil points, with the duo having managed just one cash a piece throughout the series.
Throughout his career, Negreanu, 43, has won more money on the live tournament circuit than any other player, while Hellmuth, 53, hold the record for the most amount of WSOP bracelets at 14. Nevertheless, their attitudes towards their younger competitors varies greatly, as can be seen by the twitter exchange between the two poker legends following their exits from the competition.
Daniel Negreanu
“If I had to rank my current skill level against the best I’d say I’m in the top 100. My goal by Jan 2018 it to crack the top 20.”
Phil Hellmuth
“I see too many flaws to concede they are better.”
Daniel Negreanu
“These guys have worked real hard on their game the past couple years where I haven’t, and Phil thinks he’s the one seed – it’s delusional. It’s not real life.”
Phil Hellmuth
“I am always the #1 seed in no limit Hold’em tourneys DNegs, best ROI in history kid. And yes, I agree: one of us is delusional.”
The pros known as much for their egos as their skill at the table then continued their battle to determine their placement in the modern game, leading to an amusing situation in which Hellmuth requested Negreanu provided him with a list of all those players who could crush him badly at No Limit Hold’em tournaments. Negreanu then happily obliged by coming up with a list of 40 players, including the likes of Steffen, Fedor, Schindler, Brynn Rainer, D Smith, Vogelsang, Kaverman, Marchese, Koon, Haxton, Bonomo, Christner, Schillhabel, and Tollerene.
Needless to say, the discussion was extremely colorful and attracted the attention of many pros and poker enthusiasts alike who chimed in with their varying views on the subject. For those wishing to follow the entertaining discourse in its entirety, though, check out the player’s twitter accounts at @realkidpoker and @phil_hellmuth.