Sometimes, playing for millions of dollars isn’t enough action. On Twitter Monday, Daniel Negreanu proposed side bets on the upcoming Poker Masters series and had no problem finding takers.
“Looking for action for PokerMasters? I want to bet myself,” the longtime face of PokerStars and winningest tournament player in history tweeted. His tweet listed his terms and conditions:
“-even money
-must win purple jacket
-$50k cap per player.”
Kid Poker isn’t kidding around. He is confident in his game against the younger pros, and apparently wants to give himself a little extra incentive in the Poker Masters, a new high-roller tournament series taking place next week at the Aria in Las Vegas.
The series consists of five tournaments that are open to anyone. The first four events, one per day, have a $50,000 buy-in. The Poker Masters will conclude with a three-day $100,000 buy-in championship event, starting Sept. 18.
Taking a lesson from golf, the player who wins the most money throughout the entire series will be draped with coveted blazer that seems like it was designed for Prince.
18 Ways to Win vs. One Way to Lose
A Purple Jacket side bet is clearly advantageous to Negreanu. He’s “only” risking $50,000 with the potential to win upwards of $900,000, depending on how many players accept his action.
As of Tuesday, 18 players, including Tom Marchese, Brian Rast, Fedor Holz, and Doug Polk, had accepted the side bet. At $50,000 a pop, Negreanu stands to win an extra $900,000 beyond the tournament payouts if he is crowned Poker Masters champion.
There’s a chance, one of these players will win the Purple Jacket, in which case Negreanu owes him or her $50,000. But if Kid Poker pulls off the ultimate victory, with so many people in on this bet, he takes home an extra $900k (or more, eventually).
But if neither party wins the coveted piece of clothing, the bet is a wash.
Negreanu said he’s considering raising the max stakes to $100,000 per player, but said he wouldn’t confirm that until next week.
More High-Roller Content for PokerGo
Not to be confused with a previous event bearing a similar name, this incarnation of the Poker Masters was created by Poker Central. It begins Sept. 13 at 1:30 pm PT and will be broadcast on a 30-minute delay on the PokerGo subscription-based app.
After a winner is crowned in the championship event, an overall champion will be determined, based on who won the most money throughout the series. That person will receive what tournament creators hope will become hotly desired pokerwear, the inaugural Poker Masters Purple Jacket, designed by fashion icon Waraire Boswell.
Poker Central is taking a page out of the PGA Tour’s Masters tournament, golf’s most prestigious annual event, which has awarded its champions the “Green Jacket” since Sam Snead won it in 1949.
You never know when a lasting tradition has been born, but it’s possible, down the road, that the Purple Jacket could become a thing young poker players dream about. For now, it seems those dreams belong to young Poker Hall of Famers with $50,000 burning a hole in their pockets.
