by Mario Alfonsi | Published on May 12, 2020 | Updated on May 12, 2020
For over a decade, Dan “Jungleman” Cates has showcased his exceptional skills in poker. He took the online poker world by storm when he employed the reverse game selection strategy, which allowed him to compete and win against the best players and high-stakes regulars at the heads-up tables. Now, the American poker pro wants to share a more personal side of him in a new writing project.
Jungleman Cates’ new blog which is currently up on Medium.com, gives us an insight into his thoughts about the world and life in general, and the values and principles he upholds as a poker player and as an individual.
In his first blog post, Cates talks about the importance of changing perspectives to better deal with problems and difficulties. He emphasizes that getting caught up in our own ways of thinking often results in poor decisions and bad judgment, and the moment we open ourselves to the realities and carefully observe how things evolve, we begin to realise that we don’t really need to adopt a single point of view to get through life.
Back in the old days, when players had to figure out all the solutions themselves, many thought things could not get better, but fastforward today when tons of innovative software and applications have come out helping players with their decision-making and influencing their gameplay, it’s crystal clear that poker is a game that continues to evolve.
In real life, the idea of changing perspectives can be applied especially during this pandemic. According to Cates, it’s easier to get stuck in negativity right now due to restrictions and limited movement. But there are still things that fall under your control – you can change your thoughts and focus on what you can do to overcome the challenge.
Dan’s Poker Achievements
Cates started his poker career back in 2008 playing micro-stakes online cash games. In two years, he was able to raise his stakes and continued to move up, competing in the higher stakes against noted online pros such as Viktor Blom at the now-defunct site Full Tilt Poker.
Cates began making a name for himself in 2010 when he became that year’s biggest winner in online poker after scooping more than $5.5 million across 145,215 hands on Full Tilt. During the same year, he agreed to take a heads-up challenge against online poker legend Tom “Durrrr” Dwan. It remains unfinished up to this day.
Cates skills are not limited to online poker though, as he also found considerable success at the live felts. In 2014, he finished runner-up in the €100,000 buy-in European Poker Tour Super High Roller in Monte Carlo for €1,283,700 ($1,774,145), his biggest live score to date. He has more than $7 million in total live earnings. As of 2011, he earned over $11 million playing online.
