Biography.guide
Home › People › Poker player › Daniel Cates
Portrait of Daniel Cates

Daniel Cates

b. 1989

American poker player

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Daniel Cates

Born 1989. Daniel Cates is an American poker player.

Daniel Cates (born November 14, 1989) also known as Jungleman, jungleman12 or w00ki3z. is a professional poker player from the United States, once considered to be one of the best heads-up No Limit Texas Hold 'em players in the world. By 2014, his online cash game earnings at Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars was over . In 2010, he won over $5 million, making him the biggest winner for the year.

Early life Cates was born and raised in Bowie, Maryland, and began playing poker at the age of 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.

Poker Cates began playing online poker under the screen name "jungleman12" 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. He went from $0.25/$0.50 to $25/$50 in 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 no limit for 50,000 hands. If Cates should beat Dwan by $1 or more after 50,000 hands, he will win $1.5 million from Dwan. As of April 2011, the two had played 19,335 hands, and Cates was up over a million dollars. On December 31, 2018, Cates called out Dwan publicly on Twitter for his apparent welching. However, Cates also said that Dwan paid out approximately $700,000 in 2017.

On August 13, 2015, Cates announced via Twitter that he lost at a casino in Manila.

As of April 2025, his total live tournament winnings exceed $18,000,000.

World Series of Poker

Cates has two World Series of Poker bracelets, both in the Poker Players Championship. He claimed his first bracelet in 2021, after defeating Ryan Leng heads-up. He claimed his second bracelet in 2022, after defeating Yuri Dzivielevski heads-up. He is the first person to win the Poker Players Championship in consecutive years.

+ World Series of Poker braceletsYearTournamentPrize (US$)2021$50,000 Poker Players Championship 6-Handed$954,0202022$50,000 Poker Players Championship 6-Handed$1,449,103

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Bowie State University, Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Also known as
Dan Cates

People in Daniel Cates's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Daniel Cates's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Daniel Cates?

American poker player

When was Daniel Cates born?

Daniel Cates was born on 14 November 1989 in Bowie.

What is Daniel Cates's occupation?

Daniel Cates is a poker player.

What nationality is Daniel Cates?

Daniel Cates is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Daniel Cates

· Wikidata: Q5216778

· DBpedia: Daniel Cates

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Daniel Cates. https://biography.guide/daniel-cates/

MLA: "Daniel Cates." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/daniel-cates/.

Chicago: "Daniel Cates." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/daniel-cates/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:20 UTC