You can add Jamie Kerstetter to the growing list of poker players who have a beef with Daniel Negreanu. The poker commentator said on her recent podcast that DNegs had her removed from a live-stream booth because he doesn't like her.
She didn't mention the specific tournament, but Joe Stapleton, a regular poker commentator and friend of Negreanu's, confirmed to Poker.org that it was "one of the Circuit events," meaning a WSOP Circuit Series tournament on the GGPoker poker site.
GGPoker, which is now hosting the World Series of Poker Online Bracelet Series, ran an 18-event WSOP Circuit Series in the Spring. Stapleton co-hosted many of the final tables on Twitch.
The Circuit Series served as a replacement for the 2019-2020 live WSOP Circuit events that were postponed due to COVID-19.
Kerstetter lays into Negreanu
You won't find Jamie Kerstetter calling out poker players often, at least on social media. But she made an exception recently during The Rake podcast she co-hosts with Marle Cordeiro, in an interview with ESPN commentator Norman Chad.
The popular poker player, known for her witty sense of humor, made a bold accusation on her recent podcast.
"He has hurt my career," Kerstetter said of Negreanu. "I want to commentate, I enjoy commentating. He had me removed from a commentary that I was already signed up for because I speak my mind about him and I'm not going to kiss his ass."
Negreanu is the top ambassador for GGPoker. He is essentially the face of the company and has long been one of poker's most powerful and popular ambassadors. So, he has some influence in the game, especially within GGPoker. He's said in the past he doesn't enjoy Kerstetter's commentary, and once went so far as to say he mutes the TV when she's talking.
But Negreanu also claimed on social media that he didn't have her removed from the stream that she was already hired to work. Instead, he claims that he merely gives his opinions on commentators and then the higher ups make the final decision.
Kerstetter has experience announcing poker tournaments and much of the poker community enjoys her commentary, and also her hilarious Twitter posts and cute dog pics. Many came to her defense on social media after she made the allegations against Negreanu. Her commentary experience includes numerous live-streams and she became the third member of ESPN's WSOP Main Event broadcast team in 2018, joining long-time hosts Norman Chad and Lon McEachern.
Poker Night in America co-host Chris Hanson, joked about the situation.
Negreanu has found himself in the middle of a few beefs recently, and not only with his long-time rival Doug Polk. He's also beefing with Chad, Kerstetter's broadcast partner. Daniel claimed that Chad privately told him Kerstetter is a lousy poker commentator. But the ESPN announcer told Poker.org earlier this week that the claim is completely unfounded and that he's never said such a thing.
