button in SafariDid Michael Mizrachi & Daniel Negreanu Nearly Come to Blows When First Meeting?
When it comes to famous poker players, Daniel Negreanu and Michael Mizrachi are among the most recognizable in the world. The pair of Poker Hall of Famers are friendly now, but did you know that when they first met two decades ago, they got in a “clash”?
The story was told on Season 4 Episode 3 of the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship (2008), which is available to watch now on PokerGO.
It was the Round of 64 in the Diamond Bracket where matches included Doyle Brunson vs. Sammy Farha, Seinfeld star Jason Alexander vs. 1996 WSOP Main Event champ Huck Seed, and Jennifer Tilly vs. Clonie Gowen.
One other high-profile match was that of “Kid Poker” taking on “The Grinder”, where the duo revealed how they first met, which had a hint of bad blood.
“You know, the funny thing with Grinder, we’ve been at final tables before, but we actually met in a really bizarre way,” Negreanu said in a segment.
"Luckily, we didn’t throw down."
“A long time ago, we were playing on an online site, and Daniel and I got in a little clash with each other,” Mizrachi responded.
“I’d just knocked him out of a game. I got lucky in the hand, but I was just goofing around. And then it got serious,” said Negreanu.
“I was like, ‘I’m coming to Vegas,’ something like that, I was just trash talking,” Mizrachi shared.
“Luckily, we didn’t throw down because he’s a little bit bigger than me,” Negreanu quipped, “but at the table, the war will sort of be reignited.”
Mizrachi ultimately got the last laugh in that tournament as he built a big chip lead against Negreanu, who eventually jammed his last 3,700 with the Q♥4♥ and Mizrachi called, who had 600 in the big blind, called with the superior Q♦10♠.
The 10♦A♥4♠ flop paired both players, but Mizrachi maintained his lead. The 3♠ left Negreanu looking for a four on the river, but it wasn’t in the cards as the 3♣ paired the board.
“I guess I can go now,” Negreanu concluded after shaking hands with his opponent.
*Images courtesy of PokerGO.
