Howard Swains previews day 3 at the World Cup of Poker

Hang around the peripheries of any poker tournament for any stakes in any city in the world and players are always conducting post mortems of previous days' play, while preparing strategy for the coming contest.

Daniel Negreanu, the celebrity player of Team Canada, has never been shy with the chat. And in the Gran Casino Barcelona yesterday, he was not only the loudest cheerleader, but also the master strategician, advising Michael Watson all the way to first place in the opening heat, and bolstering the confidence of Otto Byrne as he made his debut in a major poker tournament.


Daniel Negreanu coaches the team before heat 3

Today, it's Daniel's turn. He'll take his place in the spotlight around the felt of heat three. And true to form, he's the chirpy one as the players prepare for the second day of the PokerStars World Cup, often by reviewing yesterday's heats and adopting a new strategy for this team-based game.

A reminder: each heat takes the form of an eight-player sit and go, with team points awarded for wherever an individual places in their heat. The winner takes 15 points; second gets 12; all the way down to a solitary point for the first player out.

"It's more than just poker," Negreanu said. "There's so much else you have to think about in this team format. Some of the commentators questioned some of the plays, but I support them 100 percent."

Negreanu now has the chance to show them how it's done. He claimed yesterday that he's "absolutely certain" that he can take second place at least, but his opponents today will enjoy nothing more than undermining that confidence.

Daniel may be accustomed to mixing it with the high stakes crowd like Brunson, Esfandiari and Hansen. But he's never played this group of team players, all fuelled by the desire to haul their country into the next round of the World Cup.