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Daniel Negreanu is one of the most recognizable faces in the world of poker. Part of his reputation is based on the fact that he is, in fact, good at the game of poker and is articulate and thoughtful when he shares stories about it. It also doesn’t hurt that he was enjoying considerable success during the time when poker really started to get popular in America.

For all these reasons, it made sense for Daniel Negreanu to do a MasterClass on poker. If you’re not familiar with what that means, we talk about what a MasterClass is here in a moment. We also look at what Negreanu covers in his class and whether it makes sense to pay for the class or not.

Either way, though, it’s pretty cool that someone was asked to do a MasterClass on poker, joining names like Gordon Ramsay (cooking), Neil Gaiman (writing), Natalie Portman (acting), and others. It gives the hobby an extra measure of respectability and visibility, even if the class might not be the best investment you can make for your playing career.

What Is a MasterClass?

Real quick, before we get into the details of Negreanu’s MasterClass, let’s talk about what a MasterClass is. As the name would suggest, a MasterClass is an online course taught by a true expert with definite name recognition in their field. Lots of online sites are taught by masters, but no site has been able to generate the same level of buzz because they don’t have celebrity teachers that MasterClass boasts.

Of course, just because one is a celebrity doesn’t mean they can teach or are even worth listening to. However, in the case of MasterClass they have picked engaging personalities that will, at the very least, capture one’s attention for multiple lessons on a given topic.

If a poker MasterClass taught by Daniel Negreanu (or one of the other MasterClasses) sounds like something you would be interested in, the biggest drawback is that the classes carry a bit of a price tag. It costs $90 for a single class that you will own forever.

The other option is probably the better choice if you are interested in several classes. You have to read the fine print a little bit, but you can make a yearly payment of $180 (which they will tell you is only $15 a month, despite the fact you cannot make monthly payments). Anyway, if you take this option, you get access to all courses for a year.

Basically, MasterClass does not mess around in the cost department. Then again, the teachers they found don’t come cheap and they do have a lot of knowledge.

Why Negreanu?

While perhaps not the same level of fame as Gordon Ramsay, Carlos Santana, or Christina Aguilera, Negreanu has a few things going for him. First, he is a six-time World Series of Poker champion, which puts him in elite company amongst poker players. That’s pretty good for establishing him as the Carlos Santana of poker.
Secondly, Negreanu is charismatic. He’s a clean-cut guy, easy on the eyes, and manages to mix being the type of guy you would want to go grab a beer with and a scholarly professor type who is going to school you at the game of poker.

Of the old guard of poker, there really aren’t many other players who can claim these two things. The poker Phils (Ivey and Hellmuth) could probably pull it off, as could Vince Van Patten or Mike Sexton. Maria Ho might also have been a good choice, but she doesn’t quite have the same resume. Still, there’s one thing that Negreanu proved in his video.

He is able to communicate advanced topics of poker using words and phrases that anyone could understand. Now, given the professional production quality of the MasterClass itself, he probably had someone writing or tweaking his script. In the end, Negreanu doesn’t shy away from advanced topics and is able to explain them masterfully.

Topics Covered in Daniel Negreanu’s Poker MasterClass

If you go to MasterClass and look at Negreanu’s topic listing, it’s pretty clear that he left no topic uncovered. The first chapter is just an introduction, but immediately, he starts diving into topics that are much closer to being in chronological order instead of the normal topics that start with the basics and grow into more advanced matters.

For Instance:

Masterclass Poker Review

The second lesson is entitled “Understanding Position.” Position is an incredibly important topic when it comes to winning at poker. I myself have written about it numerous times and once I started to figure out what it really meant, my ability to bet and bluff both raised dramatically.

With that said, I was able to play poker for a lot of years (and earn a little money at it) without even an intuitive understanding of what position means. On the other hand, position is one of the first factors that a poker player needs to know when a hand starts because everything is based off of it.

Lesson three is entitled “Hand Ranges and Board Texture,” which again is something you will have to deal with early in the game. It’s a bold organization that ends up working if for no other reason than you can see how your play improves by phases. For instance, if you’ve only seen the first five or so lessons, you will find your ability to read position and determine odds increases dramatically.

This is a nice touch over other approaches which can shotgun knowledge all over the game. In other words, it’s a nice touch for those who want to learn the game.

Other topics that Negreanu touches on include check-raising, bluffing, reading tells, mistakes for pre- and post-flop scenarios, tournament strategy, table talk, tilting, and choosing games. If that’s not a complete poker lesson, I don’t know what is.

Is It Worth It?

Ultimately, this is the million-dollar question when deciding if Negreanu’s poker MasterClass is for you. I knew from the opening line of Negreanu’s trailer, “You need to understand that everything you do at the poker table conveys information,” that I wanted this course. That’s the kind of insight I’ve been thinking about for years, but never really put into words.

The price tag, of course, was a little bit of a deterrent. It can be hard to spend $90 when I’m just going to turn around and lose money at the poker table. Even with Negreanu’s course, I’m not going to win them all and that money has to come from somewhere.

I also had to think about the fact that while I like Negreanu’s style, there’s nothing in his topic list that is exclusive. There’s no “Negreanu formula” that is his sole intellectual property I can’t find anywhere else. Frankly, I’m okay with that because I think featuring another “secret formula for fat stacks of cash” like I see some many other places would cheapen the course.

Masterclass Poker Review

It’s a double-edged sword, though, because the lack of a secret formula means the information he is presenting can be found elsewhere on the net. I could, if I so chose, Google each of those topics online and get multiple viewpoints on how to perfect each step. Also, doing that wouldn’t cost me $90.

In the end, the important thing is that if you want to be a better poker player, you get the information. From where it comes is entirely up to you. For me, the right choice is that course, but I also happen to like Negreanu’s play style and the convenience of having everything confined to one site.

Conclusion

MasterClass has done a really great thing. The quality of teacher they find really places them at the forefront of online education and, because of that, it was really exciting when they chose to do a MasterClass on the game of poker.

Their choice of teacher was also a good one. Daniel Negreanu is that right blend of poker experience, poker acumen, and the right amount of charisma that he grabs your attention. The end result is a poker tutorial that can easily make anyone who watches it a better poker player.

The downside is the price tag and whether or not it’s really worth the money to gain access to information that’s out there in other forms on the internet. Is the $90 really worth the packaging? That decision is ultimately up to each person and how they want to spend money on improving their poker game.

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