High stakes pro Daniel ‘jungleman12’ Cates has been to Vienna lately, participating in Johannes Strassmann’s poker seminar. Poker journalist Marius Gartner from Hochgepokert.com has grasped the opportunity to catch him for an interview. You can read its translation here (click to read Part 1).
Daniel Cates and Johannes Strassman - Photo courtesy of Hochgepokert.com
Eventually, you did come back; in fact, Mike Matusow has dropped that you have had c. $6 million on your FTP account when it was shut down. Rumour has it you have sold it; to ‘durrrr’, many say. What can you say about this?
I can’t really say much. Actually, I still have quite a lot of money at FTP. If the room is shut down permanently, and players aren’t paid, I’ll lose a 7-figure amount and I’ll be a very miserable man. [ed. At the time of the interview, the news of Bitar and the others resigning had not surfaced yet.]
So you still have your account?
Yes, I didn’t really sell it. But this is a complicated case, and I can’t really talk about it.
Alright. Another sensitive issue is the ‘Girah’ scandal. You talked in detail about this in a Subject: Poker interview. Your popularity dropped a lot once you have admitted that you had played on multiple accounts.
Yes, I’d been doing that for a short while.
Is there anything you want to say about this?
Not much, except that many players are multi-accounting. I’m, however, normally not the type to do that. I’ve been doing it for a very short time, but in 99.5% of the cases I’ve been playing my own account. I’m not trying to say that what I did should be neglected. I’ve broken some rules, I’ve made a mistake and I’m truly sorry that it happened.
You have recently announced a NLHE heads-up challenge during the Prague Poker Festival. The buy-in is at least €100,000 and the blinds will be €200/€400. No doubt you offer it because you trust in your victory. Why do you think, as someone who plays primarily online, that you’ll have the edge at a live table as well?
I’ve become a very experienced NLHE player. I’ve played and I’ve seen a lot and this is why I think I have the edge over anyone. I’m really looking forward the start, I’m sure it will be a great game.
This could be a live form to resume the Durrrr Challenge, couldn’t it?
I don’t really think ‘durrrr’ would play it.
Is there any player whom you might “fear”?
It is possible that I’ll encounter a player I know from the online field. But it has an equal chance that it will be a good live player. I think we could agree that the most “fearsome” opponent would be Isildur, as he has already won a lot from me. He owes me a small fortune. If he accepts the challenge, it will be a really tough game.
There are great cash games running here currently because of the Poker EM in Baden. Names like Theo Jorgensen, Benny Spindler and Ronny Kaiser have been here for a while and it is said that Patrik Antonius is also here.
Johannes Strassmann: Funnily, Patrik Antonius showed up in the club yesterday. He sat directly on our right. He was with Noah Boeken, who is also a good friend of mine. Of course, both are here for the cash games.
This was some great random encounter.
Haha, indeed! So, are you also interested in the cash games here?
Yes, although I haven’t yet played any. I was busy with the seminar and other stuff. But I’d definitely like to check them out. There must be a lot of great action going on there.
Johannes Strassmann: Our schedule is pretty crammed for the upcoming days. For me personally, it isn’t very exciting to be sitting at 9-handed tables either. There is little action.
True that. You just sit there and wait for a good hand or spot. But that happens rarely. Besides, it is easy to make decisions on a full ring table, especially from the first three positions, as the ranges are tight. Anyone who knows a little poker understands how to play there.
Does it give you any difficulties to switch from online to live poker?
What gives me trouble to this day is the pace of the game. Sometimes I lose my patience. Many internet players are struggling with boredom and begin to play too loose, they bluff too much. For successful online players, I don’t exactly recommend live poker, as I’ve written it in my blog.
What are your plans for the future?
I go to the Prague Poker Festival, of course. I don’t really have plans for next year. I’ll play online from Europe but I don’t want to travel that much because it gets tiring after a while. I’ll surely play a couple of live tournaments, though.
You live in England now, don’t you?
Yes, and I really like it there. Among all the European countries, England is the most like the USA. I live just outside London, where it is really nice and quiet.
Well, we wish you good luck in the future and thank you for the interview!
I thank you for your interest.
Daniel Cates and Johannes Strassman - Photo courtesy of Hochgepokert.com
Eventually, you did come back; in fact, Mike Matusow has dropped that you have had c. $6 million on your FTP account when it was shut down. Rumour has it you have sold it; to ‘durrrr’, many say. What can you say about this?
I can’t really say much. Actually, I still have quite a lot of money at FTP. If the room is shut down permanently, and players aren’t paid, I’ll lose a 7-figure amount and I’ll be a very miserable man. [ed. At the time of the interview, the news of Bitar and the others resigning had not surfaced yet.]
So you still have your account?
Yes, I didn’t really sell it. But this is a complicated case, and I can’t really talk about it.
Alright. Another sensitive issue is the ‘Girah’ scandal. You talked in detail about this in a Subject: Poker interview. Your popularity dropped a lot once you have admitted that you had played on multiple accounts.
Yes, I’d been doing that for a short while.
Is there anything you want to say about this?
Not much, except that many players are multi-accounting. I’m, however, normally not the type to do that. I’ve been doing it for a very short time, but in 99.5% of the cases I’ve been playing my own account. I’m not trying to say that what I did should be neglected. I’ve broken some rules, I’ve made a mistake and I’m truly sorry that it happened.
You have recently announced a NLHE heads-up challenge during the Prague Poker Festival. The buy-in is at least €100,000 and the blinds will be €200/€400. No doubt you offer it because you trust in your victory. Why do you think, as someone who plays primarily online, that you’ll have the edge at a live table as well?
I’ve become a very experienced NLHE player. I’ve played and I’ve seen a lot and this is why I think I have the edge over anyone. I’m really looking forward the start, I’m sure it will be a great game.
This could be a live form to resume the Durrrr Challenge, couldn’t it?
I don’t really think ‘durrrr’ would play it.
Is there any player whom you might “fear”?
It is possible that I’ll encounter a player I know from the online field. But it has an equal chance that it will be a good live player. I think we could agree that the most “fearsome” opponent would be Isildur, as he has already won a lot from me. He owes me a small fortune. If he accepts the challenge, it will be a really tough game.
There are great cash games running here currently because of the Poker EM in Baden. Names like Theo Jorgensen, Benny Spindler and Ronny Kaiser have been here for a while and it is said that Patrik Antonius is also here.
Johannes Strassmann: Funnily, Patrik Antonius showed up in the club yesterday. He sat directly on our right. He was with Noah Boeken, who is also a good friend of mine. Of course, both are here for the cash games.
This was some great random encounter.
Haha, indeed! So, are you also interested in the cash games here?
Yes, although I haven’t yet played any. I was busy with the seminar and other stuff. But I’d definitely like to check them out. There must be a lot of great action going on there.
Johannes Strassmann: Our schedule is pretty crammed for the upcoming days. For me personally, it isn’t very exciting to be sitting at 9-handed tables either. There is little action.
True that. You just sit there and wait for a good hand or spot. But that happens rarely. Besides, it is easy to make decisions on a full ring table, especially from the first three positions, as the ranges are tight. Anyone who knows a little poker understands how to play there.
Does it give you any difficulties to switch from online to live poker?
What gives me trouble to this day is the pace of the game. Sometimes I lose my patience. Many internet players are struggling with boredom and begin to play too loose, they bluff too much. For successful online players, I don’t exactly recommend live poker, as I’ve written it in my blog.
What are your plans for the future?
I go to the Prague Poker Festival, of course. I don’t really have plans for next year. I’ll play online from Europe but I don’t want to travel that much because it gets tiring after a while. I’ll surely play a couple of live tournaments, though.
You live in England now, don’t you?
Yes, and I really like it there. Among all the European countries, England is the most like the USA. I live just outside London, where it is really nice and quiet.
Well, we wish you good luck in the future and thank you for the interview!
I thank you for your interest.
