109 – Dan “Jungleman” Cates – The Journey of Mastering Your Mind

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Summary:

In this episode, Dan Cates AKA Jungleman, opens up about his anger issues and shares what he’s been doing to improve his mindset. He reveals what he has learned about himself while diagnosing the cause of his tilts, and gives some advice to those struggling with the same challenges. Elliot and Dan talk about Dan’s exciting new lifestyle project and we get a peek into what to expect.

Listen in to understand Jungleman on a deeper level – and learn some tips and tricks to begin the journey of mastering your mind, too.  

Time Stamped Show Notes:

[00:40] – Introducing Dan Cates, AKA Jungleman; one of the most successful and well-respected players in the game

• 01:00 – He beat high stakes live and online, and in pretty much any format; he can be emotional at the tables
• 01:35 – He’s on the journey to eliminate the anger he’s known for

[01:55] – How Dan got into poker

• 02:00 – He started off as a gamer; he played live for a long time with dishonest people and then enjoyed online poker
• 03:05 – It helped to see other people’s perspectives, not just read about them; he won a tournament for $5,000 and that was his first big win

[04:58] – Tips for new players

• 05:15 – You can start off with any teacher to learn the basics, then advance to better teachers as you advance

[05:48] – Why he played heads-up

• 06:03 – He made money faster in heads-up; he knew it was dying and knew he was going to need to evolve
• 06:55 – He plays everything now, and wants to do a “lifestyle project”

[07:22] – On his “lifestyle project” Tilted

• 07:50 – It gets cool people together to live a great life
• 08:16 – Trips will be offered to people who opt in and can provide value to the group; ideally it would be business and travel
• 09:45 – He believes it’s in our biology to give back when we are fortunate and successful

[10:35] – On getting “tilted”

• 10:40 – He got angrier the more successful he got; the issues became obvious over time because he attached his ego and identity to his success
• 11:55 – He tries to focus on reason now; he’s been learning more about the ego and slowly ridding himself of anger

[14:29] – On his ego

• 14:40 – Meditation and yoga are ways he’s been working on his anger and ego
• 16:00 – He was close to getting banned from Bobby’s Room; he believes he entered an altered state of consciousness through revelations

[19:30] – On where the anger comes from

• 19:45 – Somehow it didn’t affect his game; he always focused on the truth and that the truth has nothing to do with his anger

[20:50] – Tips for anyone struggling with mindset at the table

• 21:00 – Do meditation and yoga; he was recommended to try kriya yoga
• 21:40 – Try meditation apps like Headspace

[22:40] – The most extreme tilts he has seen

• 22:45 – VIPs tilt the most
• 23:06 – He’s seen people go all-in blind for no reason; short deck is the most tilting game
• 23:40 – He has cried once at the poker table; his world was collapsing for the whole year

[25:55] – His future plans

• 26:00 – He’s going to work on meditation and will shift away from poker

3 Key Points

1. Meditation and yoga help with anger.
2. The ego is what gets in our way when we tilt.
3. Select your teacher based on where you are – you don’t need an expert teacher if you’re a beginner.

Contact/Resources

• A-Game Poker Masterclass – Website
• Meditation App – Headspace
• Dan’s Lifestyle Project on Instagram – Tilted

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