There are very few poker players in the world whose name is as well-known as that of Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, one of the young heroes of the Poker Boom era.
Cates got his start battling the likes of Tom Dwan and Andrew Robl in online poker games on sites like Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars before Black Friday even happened, and has remained a big part of the poker world for two decades.
Yet, one of the biggest accomplishments of Jungleman’s career came more recently, when he won back-to-back WSOP Poker Players Championships in 2021 and 2022, cementing his name among the poker legends.
Jungleman’s incredible feat showed the poker world that underestimating a rival can be a detrimental mistake, and that even the best players in the world always have something new to learn.
Jungleman Masters Mixed Games and Takes on the Best in the World
Dan “Jungleman” Cates is one of the best-known names in the poker world, but one built on his prowess in modern poker games like No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha.
One of the best online poker players of his generation, Cates dominated cash games back in the days of the Poker Boom, but never dabbled too much in tournament poker.
The tournaments Cates did participate in over the years were mostly played at NLH tables, which is why his performance at the 2021 WSOP came as a big surprise to everyone.
After many years spent almost exclusively playing in cash games, Cates showed up at the WSOP and jumped straight into the most competitive mixed games event in the world, the $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
For the mixed game grinders, Cates’ entry probably seemed like dead money, as he was not known for his prowess in any of the games played in this prestigious event.
Yet, despite all odds, Jungleman mixed it up across many days of Omaha Hi-Lo, 2-7 Triple Draw, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and more, only to make a stacked final table.
In a competition of the likes of Paul Volpe, Eli Elezra, Josh Arieh, and Matt Glantz, Cates was able not only to survive but also to thrive.
By the time it was all said and done, Cates beat Ryan Leng in a heads-up battle, which won him almost a million dollars and his very first WSOP gold bracelet.
Cates Goes Back-to-Back in 2022
The 2022 WSOP Poker Players Championship saw a total of 112 players enter the event, almost doubling the size of the playing field compared to the previous year.
Cates was in the mix once again, defending his title while playing the role of “Macho Man Dan.” Few believed he could repeat his 2021 success, but he was on a mission to prove them wrong.
Once again, Cates battled through four long days of preliminary action, battling across games he was not an expert in, against the very best in the world.
One thing that had become evident at this point is that Jungleman had spent the hours in the lab studying the different games and that he was no longer a pushover in any of the formats.
His natural talent for the game put him on par with any of the other pros, while his unpredictable style made him hard to play for the mixed game players, who can often be blamed for not taking enough chances.
This time around, Cates made a final table in the company of a younger group of players, with the likes of Koray Aldemir, Benny Glaser, and Yuri Dzivilievski in the mix.
The heads-up battle came down to Cates and Dzivilievski, with two very rowdy groups of railbirds supporting the American and the Brazilian, respectively.
An intense heads-up battle ensued, and Cates would eventually get the better of his opponent in a 2-7 Triple Draw hand, which played out in the early morning hours.
Cates had done the improbable and won back-to-back Poker Players Championships, a feat no other player had pulled off before him.
While this was not enough to overcome Michael Mizrachi’s three victories, which he had accumulated prior to 2022, Cates’ accomplishment was greater, as he came from a strictly No Limit background and had to battle players with far more experience in this particular format.
What We Learned From Jungleman’s Victories
The poker world has known that Dan Cates is one of the best poker players in the world for many years, but his ability to win twice in the world’s toughest mixed game tournament was a teachable moment for many of his fans.
Cates demonstrated a poker skill he often brought up in interviews and social posts since his victories, and that skill is adaptability.
Cates showed the poker world that while online NLH games may have gotten tough and perhaps weren’t the best place to make money in the modern era, learning new games and expanding one’s horizons can be a way to stay relevant.
Jungleman took his sweet time to master each game in the mix, and came at his unsuspecting opponents with a skillset none of them believed he had.
This gave him a unique edge against the field and allowed him to win more than $2.5 million before anyone even suspected he was a real contender in a field stacked with mixed game pros.
Jungleman has taken many opportunities to teach his followers, and the fans of his “Jungleverse” project, that mastering different game formats and exploring new niches can be the best way to make money in poker.
If you are considering playing poker professionally in 2026, looking into the different game formats may be exactly what you need to go from a breakeven player in your regular game to a huge crusher in a different one.
