Is August the month for besmirching the reputations of poker pros or something – Because really, a lot of that seems to be happening lately, the most recent victim being Daniel “Jungleman12” Cates. Cates is widely regarded to be one of the best heads up NLH players in the entire world, having made $7 million within the span of two short years. At 21 years old, he’s certainly one of the fastest rising stars in the poker industry. However, if there’s any shred of truth in the cheating scandal he’s currently embroiled in, then these platitudes that the young pro has been receiving might just be somewhat undeserved.

Denial – the First Stage

Cates has been accused of owning multiple accounts – something which is strictly prohibited in all poker sites. Cates’ first reaction was to deny all allegations. However, with all the rumors flying all over poker forums about high stakes pros involving in some very dubious practices and his name tied to those people out of friendship, it seemed impossible for Cates to continue hiding. So he later rescinded his statement and instead admitted that he had used the accounts of his friends, Jose Macedo and Haseeb Qureshi. He used the names Girahh and samchauhan, and Toshisan, among others. It’s pretty much impossible now to determine how much he had gained from those sessions where he pretended to be someone else, but there were some people who called him out and spilled the details about Cates’ wrongdoings.

A Story about Cheats

One guy named Tyler Smith took to the forums and bemoaned the fact that he lost more than $40k to Cates while Cates was playing on the “Girahh” account. Cates refused to return the man’s money and made little of Smith’s losses, almost implying that the practice of using multi-accounts is far too common in the world of high stakes poker that people should no longer be surprised. Cates even had the gall to offer Smith some coaching as compensation for his losses. His response to Smith had angered several online poker players, many of whom are now seriously questioning Cates’ moral compass.

Indeed, if the recent scandals are any indication, Cates has certainly been hanging out with the wrong crowd. It’s not surprising that he’s included in a cheating scandal, but it is rather unfortunate. He could have had a huge career in poker, what with all the talent he undoubtedly has. But now he just went and dirtied his reputation by cheating.

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