Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, one of the most renowned cash poker players in the world, is ready to take on all comers. The young pro has laid down the gauntlet, issuing a heads-up challenge to any and all participants at the upcoming World Poker Tour event in Prague.
The rules will be simple – A one on one matchup, featuring blinds of 200/400 euros with a minimum buy in of 100,000 euros. The event, scheduled to take place on the 6th of December, will be broadcast live (albeit with a fifteen minute delay) exclusively on ThePokerFarm.com. Thanks to the delay, the site has agreed to reveal peeks at the hole cards of each player.
So with all of the turmoil surrounding the world of poker lately, one might wonder, why now? Cates’ reply is simple and to the point.
“I’m sick and tired,” he says, “of all the negative publicity the game of poker has received in the past few months. As someone who loves the game, I think the poker world deserves to know who the best poker player on the planet is. I’m confident that it’s me. If anyone has the nerve to take me on, let them come to Prague in December and sit down across from me at the table.”
In the months prior to Black Friday and the subsequent shutdown of several online poker sites, Cates had been engaged in a heated (if a bit one sided) match against Tom “Durrrr” Dwan. As a participant in the Durrrr Challenge, he had amassed a sizable lead over his opponent.
So, is this new challenge aimed at finishing off his match with Dwan? Cates, for his part, isn’t telling.
“This is not about the past,” he told the folks at ThePokerFarm. “I don’t run away from something once I start it. And there is no person alive who I will refuse this offer to play me.”
What this is about, of course, is money. And the cash at the table won’t be the only sums wagered on the upcoming battle. Matchbook.com, a betting exchange site, has already opened their turnstiles to interested bettors.
“There has already been substantial interest in this challenge, even without knowing who Jungleman’s opponent might be,” said a Matchbook spokesman. “Cates has very little experience playing live and he has never played in front of cameras with his hole cards revealed. There are people out there who think he cannot possibly win without his computer screen!”
One thing’s for sure, however – December 6th can’t get here soon enough.