While Daniel Negreanu doesn’t count as a “young gun” of poker anymore -- with players like Tom “Durrr” Dwan and other young players eclipsing him – he’s not exactly over the hill in his mid 30s, either. Negreanu burst onto the poker scene in the late 1990s but really came into his own just as poker was booming from 2000-2005.

He and other young players at the time such as Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari, and Phil Laak helped boost poker’s meteoric rise in popularity, helping turn it into a hip, cool game instead of some boring card game played in smoky casinos by old men in cowboy hats. Not only was poker suddenly cool and hip, but you could win staggering sums of money at it in a relatively short period of time, with players like Negreanu acting as visible, personable proof.

Daniel Negreanu was the WSOP player of the year in 2004 and WPT player of the year in 2005, and has won more than $12,000,000 on the poker tournament circuit during his career. He cut his poker teeth as a cash game player, though, and can still be founding playing in the biggest games in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, as well as playing regularly on the High Stakes Poker television show. Unlike some pros who specialize in cash games or tournaments, Negreanu is one of the few that’s had consistent, substantial success in each over the years.

Daniel also proved just as adept as cashing in on the business side of poker as he was at succeeding at the tables. He launched his own online poker room for a short time and was on numerous television shows such as Late Night Poker, Poker After Dark, and High Stakes Poker, as well as serving as the “poker ambassador” for the Wynn casino after it first opened its doors. He signed with online poker site PokerStars in 2007 and has featured prominently in their marketing campaigns and television ads.

Daniel Negreanu’s poker blog at FullContactPoker.com has proven to be one of the best poker pro blogs, as he provides a lot of detail and insight into his life as one of the world’s most famous professional players. While it may be heavy on the golf and hockey talk at times, it’s one of the few cases where a player gives you his or her honest, straightforward opinions, without pulling punches or producing a bland blog that’s more a marketing tool than anything else.