Daniel Negreanu dropped what he believes to be a heavy dose of actuality on X about how a lot cash the high-volume excessive curler poker match grinders actually make.
The seven-time World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner is a uncommon breed amongst excessive rollers in that he discloses his earnings and losses. Poker followers solely get to see the cashes, which do not embrace losses, when wanting up the outcomes for many of their favourite high-stakes match execs on The Hendon Mob’s database.
How A lot Do Poker Match Grinders Actually Make?
Negreanu, who has been taking part in on the high-stakes degree for the reason that Nineties and ranks seventh all time with $55.5 million in reside match cashes, claims it solely price about $250,000 to play a full slate of the best stakes tournaments in a yr within the late Nineties. He says that quantity rose to roughly $1.2 million in 2013, however now prices over $12 million in entry charges.
The GGPoker ambassador performs a fairly large match schedule annually, however not compared to among the excessive rollers as he would not journey to compete in Triton Poker occasions or abroad in excursions such because the European Poker Tour (EPT). He now largely sticks with tournaments in Las Vegas, often WSOP or PokerGO Tour occasions.
However the Poker Corridor of Famer, regardless of skipping a piece of the excessive curler circuit, is an enormous a part of the excessive curler group.
“Most each professional who’s taking part in this type of excessive curler schedule is promoting motion and/or swapping, so if you happen to see a professional who performed all of them money for $7 million in a yr, probably shedding $3-5 million, they didn’t truly lose that a lot if something in any respect. In the event that they solely promote at markup, they will lose $3-5 million, however nonetheless present a revenue personally.” Negreanu wrote.
Negreanu continued to clarify that top curler tournaments typically have turbo blind buildings in order to appease the leisure gamers who do not need to play for days. The construction will increase variance, which is disadvantageous to seasoned execs. It minizes their edge towards a whale. A crusher comparable to Alex Foxen or Stephen Chidwick would, in principle, have the next return on funding (ROI) taking part in longer blind ranges towards less-skilled opponents.
“If you wish to make an excellent residing as a match participant, your greatest guess is to deal with low to mid stakes purchase in tourneys,” Negreanu advises.
Negreanu claims that what poker followers envision concerning the highest stakes gamers “is usually a mirage.” The co-host of the MANIA Podcast ended an 11-year bracelet drought final summer time by profitable the $50,000 Poker Gamers Championship for $1,178,703. However he nonetheless turned in his third consecutive shedding WSOP, largely attributable to failing to money within the largest occasions — $100,000 and $250,000 — on a number of bullets.
He misplaced simply over $2.2 million throughout all tournaments performed in 2023. Negreanu is off to a strong begin to 2025 with two excessive curler wins, though he solely recorded one small money within the just lately accomplished U.S. Poker Open collection.
Not Everybody Agrees
Negreanu’s excessive curler take sparked some debate on X. Adrian Mateos, thought of the most effective high-stakes match execs on this planet, disagreed along with his peer.
Mateos, a Spanish poker legend, claims just a few gamers spend over $10 million coming into poker tournaments. He mentioned he performed many of the excessive curler stops in 2024 and spent “means decrease” than Negreanu’s $12 million determine.
Mateos cashed for $13.1 million final yr, which topped The Hendon Mob charts. He now has over $52 million in reside match cashes, which incorporates 4 WSOP bracelets.
“I believed you received quite a bit in 2024, however after studying Daniel’s publish, I notice you had been one of many 5 excessive curler regulars to win a small quantity final yr. Powerful life,” Sam Greenwood, a high-stakes grinder and future visitor on PokerNews’ Life Exterior Poker podcast, sarcastically responded to Mateos.
Sean Winter, one other excessive curler common, joked that he should be down $23 million over the previous two years given he is cashed for much much less yearly than $12 million.
“Each time somebody referecnes a participant’s Hendon Mob to qualify/disqualify their skill on this area simply kindly reference this thread & perceive that MTTs are the mirage,” Matt Berkey tweeted.
Excessive curler tournaments happen all the world over. Tournaments the full-schedule grinders enter embrace the WSOP, World Sequence of Poker Paradise (WSOPP), EPT, excessive rollers at Seminole Arduous Rock in South Florida, random excessive rollers at Wynn and Aria in Las Vegas, Triton Poker, and some different stops. The common excessive rollers usually play buy-ins starting from $5,000 to $300,000, and yearly or two some venue will host a $1 million buy-in match.
These occasions will not be solely costly from an entry charge standpoint. Touring weekly to a number of places in several states and nations provides one other price you will not discover in a participant’s profile. Most excessive rollers swap motion or promote massive items of their very own motion to reduce their prices. However, as Negreanu mentioned, the excessive curler match earnings aren’t as excessive as some suppose.
