Although he has by no means been a heavy circuit grinder, it was an particularly quiet 2024 for Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates on the event scene, recording a single money again in January.
The three earlier years he’d been noticed on the occasional excessive curler occasion, together with his back-to-back wins within the $50,000 Poker Players Championship on the WSOP and a podium end in an enormous Triton Poker occasion in London for a career-best rating of $1.9 million.
Instead, Cates targeted on touring, interviewing different high execs on his podcast, and even the occasional viral money sport hand the place he picks off a six-figure bluff with 7-2.
Jungleman’s newest challenge combines his love of animation and story telling, bringing his phrases to life in a South Park stylized format that injects humor into his poker origin tales. He’s working with animator Adam Peiken, who is identical particular person behind Check Raise Revolution, a music project that Cates can be concerned with. (He will reportedly play piano and flute on the subsequent launch!)
Card Player: What did you consider the concept whenever you have been approached about animating your tales?
Dan Cates: I really need to animate quite a lot of issues as a result of I believe it’s a significantly better method of reaching out and connecting with folks. The first one about how I discovered poker is out now, however we created some extra movies that can element my origin story, which will probably be coming quickly.
CP: Do you watch quite a lot of animated exhibits? What are your favorites?
DC: A whole lot of the cartoons and flicks I like, particularly my favorites like Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon, all have an underlying message. I saved seeing it again and again. That’s what bought me impressed.
CP: Is there any story particularly that you’re trying ahead to seeing animated?
DC: I can’t wait to see Bobby’s Room animated, additionally my bracelet win within the $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
We might additionally do quite a lot of the tousled occasions in historical past, since they actually do make good tales. People wildly underestimate how fascinating these tales are.
CP: You didn’t play a ton of tournaments in 2024, however you positively traveled fairly a bit, as evidenced by your Instagram account.
DC: I took journeys to Brazil (with Felipe Ramos for a poker sequence), India (the place Buddha discovered enlightenment), and a visit to Estonia. Guangzhou was additionally actually enjoyable. There are a great deal of lovely locations in China and lots of cool issues to do. Chengdu, Chonqing, Shanghai, Guizhou… I went to an enormous temple within the park with monkeys. I additionally went to Beijing.
CP: What is your poker plan for 2025?
DC: You can count on to see me again on reside streams taking part in money, however I’m not an enormous fan of taking part in tournaments. They take without end and I really feel like I’ve to be extra productive by doing different issues. I’d play them a bit after I’m again within the U.S. I’m going to play some Triton sequence, and the World Series of Poker in Vegas.
CP: Speaking of tournaments taking without end and the WSOP, Phil Hellmuth says he isn’t taking part in the principle occasion this yr due to the lengthy construction. Any ideas?
DC: Phil not taking part in the principle is a bit odd from him. I do suppose endurance is simply part of the sport. I really feel like he’s making a little bit of an excuse right here to not put within the correct effort, however I’ll attempt to persuade him to do it.
People underestimate how a lot of that is inside their management. If persons are in higher form they will play longer hours.
CP: The two of you may have teamed up for some large important occasion entrances through the years, full with full costumes. Phil not taking part in leaves the door open so that you can do one thing by yourself. Any plans or concepts?
DC: Phil really talked about an concept that impressed me a bit. I’ll give it some thought extra and see how issues play out. I might do a personality I wished to do prior to now, however I’m a bit shy about it for varied causes.
