Daniel Negreanu: Poker Player and Christian
February 7, 2008 – 8:31 am Posted by bryan in » Christianity, morality, sports
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editor’s note: if you came to this page wondering if playing poker is a sin, might I suggest you read my post on that exact topic?
Is poker a sport? Honestly, I don’t know. They do put it on ESPN. But then again, they put “Who’s Now” on ESPN too, and that had as much to do with sports as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have to do with winning. Sport or not, it does involve competing, and if you know anything about the game of Poker, you know that it can make for some riveting television.
If you spent any time over the past 5 years watching televised poker, then you probably know who Daniel Negreanu is. He’s the quirky Canadian player who loves to talk at the table and has a knack for reading other players better than most. One thing you might not have known is that he is a Christian.
Aaron Todd, on his blog “Gaming Guru”, interviewed Negreanu in 2006, and said of Negreanu’s conversion:
A few months after they started dating, Negreanu’s wife Lori mentioned that she was a Christian and she felt it was important for Negreanu to explore his faith. He read A Case For Christ by Lee Strobel, and when he finished, he felt like there was “no option other than believing.”
Like he does at the table, when it came to the idea of a Christian making a living by playing poker, Negreanu had a lot to say:
“There is no reference anywhere in the Bible, not one scripture that says gambling is a sin or gambling is wrong,” Negreanu says. “There are sinful things that can come out of a love for money. If you have an addiction to money and a love of money, yeah, that’s sinful, but that doesn’t have anything to do with gambling per se. You can do that if you’re a businessman or a corporate man who is just hording his money and not sharing.
“The way I look at it, it’s not how you make your money — as long as you’re not doing anything to cheat people or hurt others — it’s what you do with it. Certainly I’m going to be at a poker table with people that shouldn’t be there — where gambling has become a problem. I think gambling only becomes sinful when it becomes a problem in your life and it impedes your walk with God or with your family. From my perspective, if I’m playing with these people that are going to lose their money anyway, I can turn (bad) money into (good) money.
“It’s no different than being a stock broker. How does one believe gambling is a sin and that playing the stock market isn’t? What is the difference? You’re making an investment on something you don’t really know what is going to happen with. You do your research, like you research a poker hand. You say ‘Well, I think this has expected value, I think I will make money with this hand.’ But you don’t always, sometimes you have some bad luck or you get the wrong read. When you research a business, you say ‘Well, I think this stock is going to go up,’ and make an investment in it. Sometimes it goes up and sometimes it goes down. Where is the difference?”
When BLUFF Magazine asked Negreanu if there were Christians who had a problem with his profession in November of 2006, he had this to say:
I think only the ignorant ones. My wife’s family are devoted conservatives to the point where she wasn’t even allowed to watch TV as a child, but they’re fine with me. They’re totally fine with what I do for a living. They understand that, you know, there is nothing in the Bible anywhere that says gambling is a sin. Nothing. I think a lot of people misunderstand gambling — OK, it’s essentially taking money from other people. Well, there isn’t a business in the world in which that doesn’t happen. When you win on the stock market, others lose. Any business deal you make, you’re going to take someone’s money. It’s what you do with that money that separates whether you’re healthy or unhealthy. If you hoard all that money for yourself, just to own a bigger home, well, I guess that might be wrong. But there’s nothing wrong with poker according to the Bible. But having said that, a lot of people misinterpret what it says and think that what I do is wrong. To those people, I just try to talk to them and explain to them. But some of them just won’t get it. But that’s OK. I’m not really a fan of conservatism anyway.
Of course, when you make your faith public, you open yourself up to criticism. When Negreanu blogged in April about the priorities in his life (1. God, 2. Family, 3. Health, 4. Poker, and 5. Stuff), some folks jumped on him, throwing scripture back in his face.
What do you think? Do you think Negreanu is wrong to make a living playing poker? If all of a sudden you realized you were an exceptional poker player, would your conscience be okay with you making a living doing it?
Show your cards in the comments…
Tags: Daniel Negreanu, gambling, Poker
12 Responses to “Daniel Negreanu: Poker Player and Christian”
By Kevin Bussey on Feb 7, 2008 | Reply
I don’t know if it is a sin, but is it as Andy Stanley says: “THE WISE THING TO DO?” How many lives have been destroyed by gambling? There is a huge difference in the stock market and Texas Hold em. Stocks require studying and investing.
Gambling usually is associated with the underworld. It is always is stacked on the house’s benefit. Gambling can become an addiction. I really can’t see how gambling would be a profession Jesus would endorse.
By Geof F. Morris on Feb 7, 2008 | Reply
No, not really. The stock broker analogy is apt.
By buddy watts on Feb 7, 2008 | Reply
There are a lot of people addicted to food, but Christians fill up buffets every Sunday afternoon…..You can use the “gambling can become an addiction” argument if you want, but you need to carry that arguement into EVERY area of your life, Food, TV, Music, Clothing, Homes, Cars, Relationships, Money, Work…How come just because it has a certain stigma attached to it, it is wrong. I think it is awesome that he can befriend the underworld with the love of Jesus, after all Jesus was a friend of sinners.
By Zeke on Feb 7, 2008 | Reply
I think that’s pretty foolish to say that becoming an upper-echelon poker player doesn’t require studying and investing, because it most definitely does. You are investing money in your own ability and putting it on the line whenever you compete. I think, as Buddy said, that he has an awesome opportunity to minister to those around him and make a positive impact with the money he makes. People get mad at poker players because they’re taking “other people’s money,” well… basically that’s business. We don’t scold athletes who make millions of dollars from their franchise that profits from OUR money paying for their games and merchandise; poker is a competition like many other sports and it requires an advanced skill set that takes effort to hone. I wish Daniel the best in his endeavors.
Side note - one of my good friends who is a believer plays poker just because he enjoys the competitive aspect of it. He finished in the top 20 in this year’s WSOP and continues to teach in inner-city LA and donated his winnings to build schools in Afghanistan. God can most certainly accomplish good through any variety of methods, including using someone who happens to be great at poker.
By The Zoner on Feb 11, 2008 | Reply
I am a Christian and I play poker. At least I know what I am getting into and who I am playing. Assuming you lose, it is a tax on the willing. With stocks and funds, sometimes you have no idea what is behind them– Enron, etc.
It’s funny Negreanu used the stock market analogy. I use the same one. How is it ok to make money off of that knowledge but not the knowledge and skill it takes to play poker?
The bigger gamble is really the market, especially for the common man who hasn’t an idea about how it works.
Thank you for this article!
By Micah on Mar 8, 2008 | Reply
The stock market and white collar crime have hurt more people in this world than any other crime. Think about it…How many people did Enron hurt? It hurt more people than any serial killer, rapist or robber. My question to all people however, are we arguing about the lesser of two evils?
By Mike Baccarat on Apr 20, 2008 | Reply
I guess this quote makes sense by Daniel: “it’s what you do with it” - talking about what you DO with the money you win as being the important part.
It’s a hard question but we all have our own opinions - nice article!
By rebecca ricklefsen on Apr 21, 2008 | Reply
I am sooo- glad i read this article…I had been struggling with my feelings about poker, being a Christian, and feel much better now!
As Christians if we choose to spend some of our time playing poker this is a “must do” list: 1) view ur interest in poker as an opportunity to infiltrate a darker side of the world and spread the Lord’s light..speak up and talk 2 others about Christ! 2)give thanks to the Lord when you win and do something GOOD (that pleases Him) with the $$!
I believe that ANYTHING in life done in extremes can hurt someone, so be careful!
XOXO
By troy&rebecca ricklefsen on Apr 21, 2008 | Reply
adding another great website 4 u all 2 check out! spread the word 2 all the poker lovers (believers and non-believers alike)!
http://christianpoker.net/FAQ_PokerChristian.html
By Christian Necklaces on Jun 12, 2008 | Reply
Great post, I really enjoyed it. I will have to bookmark this site for later.
By Rebecca Nelson on Jul 1, 2008 | Reply
Are you really serious with all this Christian garbage?
By jack corbett on Jul 6, 2008 | Reply
Negreanu is not only the best tournament player, but also the most out-going and friendly player. He always seems to be enjoying himself while playing, winning or losing. To be a great poker requires study, both book and at the table ex perience. His two books will expand your knowledge and enjoyment of the game/sport.
And he loves his mother! What more can you say about another human being? Go get ‘em, Daniel!