Daniel Cates
Encyclopedia
Daniel Cates as known as jungleman12 or w00ki3z is a professional poker player from the USA who is widely considered the best heads-up No Limit Texas Hold 'em
player in the world. His online cash game earnings at Full Tilt Poker
and PokerStars
are almost $7m. In 2010, he won over $5 million making him the biggest winner for the year.
and began playing poker aged 17. He has said that at first he was a big loser and even took a job at McDonald's in order to refuel his bankroll. He describes his childhood as “weird, a bit aloof and mostly spent alone”. He spent much of his time playing Command and Conquer and had an uncontrollable obsession with video games. He studied Economics
at the University of Maryland
before dropping out of college to make poker a full-time career.
at the $0.25/$0.50 level as well as losing money in his local casino game before employing "reverse game selection" in order to take on and beat the best players at his stakes in heads-up matches before moving up the limits. This saw him go from $0.25/$0.50 to $25/$50 in the space of just two years.
In 2009 Cates lost most of his bankroll to Viktor Blom at Full Tilt Poker before rebuilding. In 2010 he began to play higher and higher stakes, racking up victories against many noted pros including heads-up specialist Tom Dwan
. In August 2010 Cates agreed to take the Durrrr Challenge, playing Dwan at four tables of $200/$400 NL for 50,000 hands. If Cates should beat Dwan by $1 or more after 50,000 hands then he will win $1.5m from Dwan. As of April, 2011, the two have played 19,335 hands and Cates is up over a million dollars.
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
player in the world. His online cash game earnings at Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
and PokerStars
PokerStars
PokerStars is the largest online poker cardroom in the world. PokerStars' satellite tournaments produced the 2003 World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker. 1983 champion Tom McEvoy, 2005 champion Joe Hachem, 2009 champion Joe Cada and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel and others also represent...
are almost $7m. In 2010, he won over $5 million making him the biggest winner for the year.
Personal life
Cates was born and raised in Bowie, MarylandBowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
and began playing poker aged 17. He has said that at first he was a big loser and even took a job at McDonald's in order to refuel his bankroll. He describes his childhood as “weird, a bit aloof and mostly spent alone”. He spent much of his time playing Command and Conquer and had an uncontrollable obsession with video games. He studied Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
before dropping out of college to make poker a full-time career.
Poker
Cates began playing online pokerOnline poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...
at the $0.25/$0.50 level as well as losing money in his local casino game before employing "reverse game selection" in order to take on and beat the best players at his stakes in heads-up matches before moving up the limits. This saw him go from $0.25/$0.50 to $25/$50 in the space of just two years.
In 2009 Cates lost most of his bankroll to Viktor Blom at Full Tilt Poker before rebuilding. In 2010 he began to play higher and higher stakes, racking up victories against many noted pros including heads-up specialist Tom Dwan
Tom Dwan
Thomas Dwan Jr. is an American professional poker player who regularly plays online in the highest-stakes No-Limit Texas hold 'em and Pot-Limit Omaha games, primarily on Full Tilt Poker, where he plays under the screen name "durrrr"...
. In August 2010 Cates agreed to take the Durrrr Challenge, playing Dwan at four tables of $200/$400 NL for 50,000 hands. If Cates should beat Dwan by $1 or more after 50,000 hands then he will win $1.5m from Dwan. As of April, 2011, the two have played 19,335 hands and Cates is up over a million dollars.