Negreanu Feeling Confident Ahead of 2018 US Poker Open

Last year, the Poker Masters created a great deal of excitement amongst both players and fans alike as some of the world’s best pros battled it out at the high-stakes tournament series. In the end, the purple jacket was eventually claimed by German pro Steffen Sontheimer after he reached an impressive four final tables out of five competitions, and secured two titles.
This year, it is the inaugural US Poker Open which has got all the attention of the poker world, with the eight tournament series hosted at the Aria casino in Las Vegas from Feb. 1-11. The events featured will subsequently offer buy-ins of between $10,000 and $50,000, with bragging rights and a championship trophy awarded to the ultimate champion.
Just before the 2017 Poker Masters, Daniel Negreanu shone a bit of extra publicity on the series by offering a $50k bet that he would win its purple jacket against a player selected by the bettor. One player who didn’t get involved, however, was Phil Hellmuth, despite some full-on baiting by Negreanu. The needling then got even more heated following the Poker Masters’ conclusion after Negreanu berated Hellmuth for not acknowledging that many of these newer generation players “play circles around you.”
“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,” tweeted Negreanu.
This time around, the Canadian pro has offered a similar type wager, and once again the world biggest tournament winner couldn’t resist the temptation to have a dig at the number one WSOP bracelet holder, tweeting:
“Ok @BrynKenney and others, I’ll bet $50,000 on a must win US Poker Open Trophy. In the case of @phil_hellmuth you can bet up to $250,000 since I like you!”
While evidently a friendly rivalry, the two pros are also known for having the biggest egos in the game, so needless to say the upcoming contest should make for some interesting and entertaining action both on and off the tables. Among the other pros also taking part in the US Poker Open is Nick Schulman, Brian Rast, Justin Bonomo, Dan Smith, and Jens Lakemeier.
2018 US Poker Open Schedule
Feb 1 $10,000 NLHE
Feb 2 $10,000 PLO
Feb 3 $25,000 NLHE
Feb 5 $25,000 Mixed
Feb 6 $10,000 NLHE
Feb 7 $25,000 NLHE
Feb 8 $25,000 NLHE
Feb 9 $50,000 Main Event