Dan Cates - 2014's Biggest Online Poker Winner

The results are in: Dan "jungleman12" Cates is 2014's biggest online poker winner. According to the High Stakes Database, the 25-year-old Maryland native has scooped $3.43 million in winnings throughout last year alone. As it stands currently, jungleman12's total profit from online poker is $10,211,767, a sum which ranks him third in the top list of winners; he is preceded by Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius.

Hard Work and Long Hours

Dan Cates is praised for his work ethic in the world of online poker – something which has brought him to where he is right now. Throughout 2014, Cates played some 158,000 hands, his hardest-working and most beneficial season being the summer. In August, Cates went home with $677,400 in profit after a 26-hour long session at Full Tilt's high stakes tables.

jungleman's Rise to Success

Before becoming jungleman, Dan Cates had humble beginnings. Today's high stakes pro started his way at the micro stakes back in 2008. Cates dropped out of his economics studies at the University of Maryland in order to become a full-time online poker player. Also known as "w00ki3z" throughout his career, Cates has climbed the ranks of the online poker world notching up the stakes as he goes: He plays almost exclusively online but has participated in a few live tourneys.

Online Poker – More than a Hobby

Played responsibly, online poker can be not only a source of entertainment but also of additional income. While cases like Dan Cates' are special, there are many online poker players enjoying  the game from the comfort of their homes, playing at popular online poker rooms such as bet365 Poker, Winner Poker and PokerTime. These online poker rooms and others are very accommodating to newcomers, tailoring the gaming experience for players as they hone their skills and move up the ranks. Looking at 2014 that went by, it's not baseless to predict that 2015 will be the year of online poker.