WSOP Main Event Railbird Pays Back Daniel Negreanu Four-Year "Debt"

July 05, 2022

Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S.

Daniel Negreanu has had a disappointing 2022 World Series of Poker, and that didn't change on Day 1c of the Main Event, but he did receive a good luck charm from one player on the rail, so there's that.

A wholesome moment took place Tuesday evening inside Bally's when Arash Shahi, a fellow Canadian from Toronto, approached the GGPoker ambassador who was railing Negreanu's table during the $10,000 buy-in world championship event.

Will the Karma Work?

Shahi informed Negreanu that he owed the six-time WSOP bracelet winner a past debt from four years prior. In 2018, the two poker players competed in the same tournament, a $1,500 limit hold'em event at the World Series of Poker.

During that event, Shahi wanted to get a massage at the table but realized he didn't have any cash on him. Negreanu paid for the massage and Shahi had promised to pay him back.

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Later in the day, Shahi went to the ATM to get $100 to give the Poker Hall of Famer but realized he'd already left. On Tuesday, he told Negreanu the story, gave him a $100 bill, and left him a note that read, "This is going to be lucky."

Unfortunately, for "DNegs," the debt payment didn't bring him any good karma. At the time of publishing, with one level remaining on Day 1c, he was down to around a measly 1,000 chips, far below his 60,000-chip starting stack. That said, anything can happen in tournament poker, as we learned last year when the eventual champion, Koray Aldemir won it despite ending Day 1 with just 35,000 in chips. However, Negreanu quite literally needs to pull off the old chip and a chair comeback.

For Negreanu, a deep run in the Main Event would be just what the doctor ordered, wrapping up an otherwise ho-hum summer for the perennial WSOP Player of the Year candidate. In total, he has just six small cashes in live bracelet events, and has yet to reach a final table.

Should he bust short of the money in the Main Event, there are still 17 bracelet events remaining. Although he's likely out of Player of the Year contention, he could still salvage his series. As it stands, he's down more than $1 million for the summer, half of which came in Event #50: $250,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em where he fired two bullets and failed to cash.

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