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One of the better-known feuds in the world of poker is between Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu and Annie Duke.
It's no secret the two don't like each other-you might even go so far as to say they loathe each other.
Or hate each other even.
But like Hollywood feuds, where actors who despise each other rarely diss each other in public because they may have to work together some day, the same goes for poker feuds-the top players have to frequently play against each other, especially in TV events.
That's why you generally don't hear Negreanu and Duke-or any other feuding poker pros-disparaging each other publicly.
Negreanu, however, at times can have a loose tongue, and it was on exhibit this week when he was interviewed by Las Vegas journalist Steve Friess for an Internet podcast.
Friess, who moderates a weekly gambling-themed podcast called "The Strip," which can be accessed at www.thestrippodcast.com, asked Negreanu about Duke and "Kid Poker" couldn't help but get a shot in at his rival.
According to a transcript of the interview, which was provided to PokerHelper.com by Friess, Negreanu was at first candid about the feud but then clammed up when he was pressed on the issue.
The issue came up when Friess asked Negreanu about Joan Rivers criticizing Duke and other poker players on the reality television show "Celebrity Apprentice," which aired in the USA last spring.
Here's a partial transcript of the show:
Daniel Negreanu: Joan didn't really have a connection to what poker's like today. I think maybe she had a view of what it was in the '70s and '60s, and not always seen as something positive. And to be frank, if the only poker player you ever met was Annie Duke then, you know, it's not a stretch to think that, ok, conniving, lying, cheating.
Steve Friess: Are you friends with her?
DN: Absolutely not!
SF: Oh, I didn't know that.
DN: Not in the least.
SF: Wow! What about her brother?
DN: Get along fine with him, he's kind of normal.
SF: So what's the problem?
DN: Is this on the record or off?
SF: Of course it's on the record.
DN: It's on the record?
SF: Yeah.
DN: Oh, then everyone just loves her.
SF: Would you go on "The Apprentice"? Would you think that would be something you would want to do?
DN: Well, frankly, after I watched the show, the first thing that dawned on me was how poorly poker players came across on the show.
SF: Because of Annie?
DN: Yes. And my first thought was, I would like to do it to show people that that's not what poker players are. Because the truth is, most poker people are genuinely honest people and I trust them more than I trust people in business. And I felt that the way that they were portrayed because of the sorts of things that she did, it sort of set us back in terms of the public view."
Thomas Somach, www.pokerhelper.com
