Daniel Negreanu suffered a major setback in his Hustler Casino Live debut; can he turn things around?

Daniel Negreanu had a tough start to his Hustler Casino Live debut, losing nearly $160,000 in the first two hours. Can he turn things around in this rare cash game appearance? Over 12,000 viewers are already watching online.

Daniel Negreanu made his debut at Hustler Casino Live on Friday afternoon, but it didn't start well.

This GGPoker ambassador made a rare appearance in a cash game, having just had a strong summer at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP). But this wasn't a tournament; he was participating in a format he hadn't played in for many years.

For Negreanu, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that, as of press time, the game has only been going on for a few hours. But the bad news is that the first two hours have been quite brutal.

Can Negreanu catch up and win?

Negreanu won his eighth gold bracelet this year, but lost to high-stakes regular Brandon Steven in an early pot. Negreanu, holding 10♠9♠, called a 3-bet pre-flop against A♣K♣.

The flop gave Negreanu a medium pair and Steven a gutshot straight draw. Steven bet on the flop and turn, then hit a King on the river, winning a pot of $99,000 in this $100/$200 No-Limit Texas Hold'em cash game.

Shortly after, Sam "Senor Tilt" Kiki won a pot of $110,000 from the poker legend. Things got worse when Negreanu entered a pot with A♦7♦ and hit top pair on a flop of 4♦7♥6♦—Nik Airball, in position, called his flop bet with K♣3♣, only to hit K♣ on the turn. The river made a pair (4♣), and Negreanu failed to complete his draw. Airball made a value bet of $25,000 and was called, winning the pot.

Negreanu, holding J♥J♣ in the small blind, 3-bet to $11,500, and the hand heated up rapidly. Randy "3Coin" Sadler, who initially limped in with Q♠Q♥, called. "Jellyfish" on the button also called with 10♥9♣.

The flop came 9♦8♠3♠, a hand all three players liked. All chips were pushed into center on the flop, with Negreanu calling with $46,400 and $52,400 respectively. The turn and river offered no improvement, and the pot was won by 3Coins.

Negreanu's only wins in the first two hours were small pots. He lost nearly $160,000 in his debut on Hustler Casino Live. It wasn't an ideal start, but there weren't many opportunities to win it back either. He added to his stack, and there was still time to turn things around.

Negreanu's debut was a success for Hustler Casino Live. Over 12,000 players watched the live stream on YouTube during the afternoon session on the US West Coast, and this number should continue to grow with subsequent streams.

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