Almost as famous for his easygoing manner as his two World Series of Poker bracelets Daniel has written more than 90 articles for Card Player Magazine and won the 2004 Player of the Year Award. On his way to Atlantic City for the WSOP tours first event, the 30-year-old "Kid Poker" took some time to rehash his humble beginnings and explain why the WSOP has become "kind of silly."
Was there a point where you decided that youd make a run at going pro?
"I started young as a teenager, probably 17 years old, and just played a lot of poker. I didnt have a job that I left. I never made a conscious decision that, Okay. Im gonna go pro. I woke up one morning - I was probably 22 years old - and I went, Well, I guess this is what I do for a living. For me, it just sort of happened. I was already a pro before Id even known it."
So, you were doing this since your teens and never had to flip burgers or anything?
"I worked as a telemarketer for one day - didnt like that very much. But, I also worked at Subway for a month, making subs. I could have been a professional sub-maker. I cut the bread real good. Its a shame I picked poker."
You used to play pool, too. How successful were you at that?
"I was ok. I was getting pretty good, but I was never good enough to be great. But, through pool, I got into sports and all different forms of gambling, and thats how I found poker."
So, are you hustler or just a big fan of green felt?
"I think I was a hustler at heart. Im a very competitive person, and Ive always loved games. I loved sports, too, but I knew I wasnt going to make it into the NHL being 5-9 and 140 lbs. I had to find other ways to satisfy my competition. Poker was just natural for me."
Did you realize pretty quickly that you had a serious knack for the game?
"No. It took a while. The first couple months, I was losing, and I couldnt figure out why. But, I knew I enjoyed it, so I just played more and more. And, after about two months, I realized, You know, I am pretty good at this game. I look back now, and I was a complete sucker. But, the light bulb was starting to turn on."
Have there been a few moments over the years that you see as turning points in your game?
"A few? Probably 60 or 80. Throughout my career, every six months I look back. Say I was 19, Id look at my game six months before and say, I was such a bad player back then. Im 30 now, and I think when I was 28 I played like an idiot. As far as moments? The year 2000, I didnt really focus hard enough, and I just kind of screwed around - just drinking and partying and having a fun year. That year was a wake-up call for me, to realize, You know what? If I want to do this and be great at it, I have to take it seriously."
Any stories from that year spring to mind?
"This was sort of the one where it dawned on me that I had to take this more seriously. I was playing poker - I think it was my birthday - and we were drinking at the bar. Then after that we went and played some poker, still drinking all night. So, I was playing poker and doing shots and stuff. I guess I had about $80,000 to my name, and I woke up the next morning and just hoped there was something left in my box. I had no idea if Id lost all my money. So, walking there the next day, my heart was beating and I was nervous, like, Just $10,000. Let there be $10,000 in that box at least. So, I walked in, and there was like $18,000. I was like, Phew. I only lost $70,000."
How many hours a week do you spend at a table now?
"Not very many, at all because Im doing a lot more poker-related things, not necessarily playing poker. Non-tournaments, Im playing maybe once a week. But, when Im in a tournament... Ill probably play for nine days this whole month."
How often does it feel like work when you sit down?
"I dont let it feel like work. If it feels like work to me, I wont play any more. Thats why I dont play as much, probably. I play the big events because they excite me. They get my competitive juices flowing. Ill play the big cash games because it does the same. But if I were to just go in and play some regular game, Id rather play pinochle or crazy eights or scrabble or something because if it doesnt challenge me, its boring to me."
Poker has changed a lot since you started, do you miss the good old days?
"A little bit. Back then, the World Series of Poker was an event with 200 people maybe, but you knew everybody. It was always going to be pros there, where today the final event just basically becomes a lottery. Were gonna have 5,000 people next year, and every year youre going to see a random guy be considered the World Champion of Poker. Thats great for anyone who wins the money, but to call him the best poker player in the world for that year... thats kind of silly."
Do you think the World Series of Poker should increase the buy-in or change its format?
"No. I dont think that theres anything wrong with the fact that theres 5,000 people in it, I just think what should change is the perception of, This is the guy whos going to represent the World Champion of Poker. I think whoever wins the points race or the player of the year is somebody who deserves that. Anybody can win one tournament, really. But, over a series of 30 or 40 events, youre going to look at that list of players who made it to the top, and theyre all going to be well-known players. There are no flukes."
You have a reputation as pokers nice guy. Do you play up that image as an ambush tactic?
"Its funny because Phil Hellmuth said that to me. He was saying he has the bad-boy image and I have the nice-guy image. And I said, Phil, thats not an image. Thats me. Im just being myself. Im enjoying the game, and I know you dont have to be all serious and poker-faced and boring to play this game. I know that I get benefits from being a nice guy: If people like you, theyre less likely to try and break you. I can count a million times where people were playing against me, and if I were a guy they didnt like, they would have re-raised me all my money. But, I can joke with them and say, Come on, you dont need this pot too much, buddy. And hell just throw his hand away and be like, Alright. But I just like to live my life as a nice guy. Why be a jerk?"
Does drawing people closer help you read them?
"Yeah. If I know where a guys from, his poker background, how long hes been playing, who he voted for - Ill know a lot about how he plays poker. Ill know his mentality. Is he racist is he not? Is he a lawyer? If hes a lawyer you got to be careful. You can just sort of categorize people, the more information you have on people, just like profiling them."
Is that what the games all about for you?
"Yeah. In a nutshell. You can learn the math. Thats easy - just get a book. You can sort of learn the rules of the game and have the discipline to play properly. You can have poker theory down and have robot systems and simulations that work and say I cant lose at poker. But, if you dont know people, you dont know poker. With the top 10 players in the world, its 95 percent about the ability to read people and the psychological warfare."
How does that carry over to internet poker?
"It doesnt carry over that well, but what you can get from the internet is you can polish up on all your fundamentals. You can get a great understanding of the game and be prepared to play live. But, theres going to be a whole new set of variables when you actually go into the casino and play poker against people who stare back at you."
Whats your biggest splurge after a win?
"I just won $1.8 million at the Bellagio in December, and I bought six Xbox games and three DVDs. The rest of the money just sat in a box. But, I did splurge for a big party, and I tipped the dealers and stuff. I had a party in my room, and it cost $20,000."
Do you think youre starting to outgrow your nickname?
"You mean is it time to go to Dan the Man? Well, I look at Kid Rock. Hes like 40-something and they still call him Kid Rock. I really feel like age is a state of mind. I still feel like a young kid, and I think even when Im 60, Ill be able to relate to the young kids."
What advice would you give to the kids who are watching you on TV and playing online, hoping to go pro?
"Well, I would tell them to seriously keep their priorities in order and tell them the honest truth: Even if I knew I would have gotten here doing what I did, if I had to do it all over again, I would have chosen another path. I know thats a sad truth, but this life is not easy. Dont give up your whole youth for poker. I dont live with regrets because Im happy about who I am, but that would be one glaring thing in my life. I never went to college; I was hanging around with 40-year-old guys. And those are years you cant get back. So, I would say, Dont live your whole life for poker. Its just not worth it."
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