Can Daniel Negreanu Make A Comeback At The 2021 US Poker Open?

The 2021 US Poker Open (USPO) kicked off on June 3 and a number of top high stakes poker pros will make an appearance.

The popular festival, presented by PokerGO, is among the most highly-anticipated high roller events in the world.

The USPO was launched in 2018 after the state-of-the-art PokerGO Studio opened at the Aria Resort and Casino. Each year, hundreds of players from around the world, including some of the world’s top pros, travel to Las Vegas to take part in the series.

But in 2020, the tournament was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, the USPO is officially making a return to the live felts, and offers a great opportunity for players to take a shot at massive prizes and the highly-coveted USPO championship title. One prominent pro in particular is most probably looking forward to hitting it big in the festival for an important reason.

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Could USPO End Daniel Negreanu’s Title Drought?

Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu has not fared quite well in his recent poker pursuits. In February, the Canadian poker pro lost a high-profile heads-up grudge match against long-time rival Doug Polk for $1.2 million. His next heads-up battle, this time against fellow Poker Hall of Famer Phil Hellmuth, isn’t going in his favor.

Negreanu and Hellmuth have faced each other twice on PokerGO’s High Stakes Duel, and on both occasions, The Poker Brat emerged as the winner, leaving DNegs in the red by $150K. A third match is scheduled for June 23, with the Canadian required to shell out an additional $200K as buy-in.

With Negreanu’s recent losses, many believe his legacy is now at stake. Despite actively chasing for a seventh World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, the GGPoker Ambassador hasn’t won one since 2013. He also has not had any major poker victory or title over the past few years. His latest tournament record is a 3rd-place finish in a $25K buy-in event at the Aria High Roller Series in May. In 2019, he booked two runner-up finishes in the WSOP, but that’s it.

Negreanu still remains and will always be considered one of the greatest poker players of all time. He doesn’t have to prove anything given his excellent resume. But just for the sake of ending his title drought, the USPO might just give him a chance. Or he could just display an impressive performance at the series by finishing strong in key events to silence his doubters.