Eastgate Crowned WSOP Champion

Move over Phil Hellmuth. Peter Eastgate from Denmark has just become the youngest player to win the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.

He has broken this record that Hellmuth had held on to for the last 19 years.

In the Heads up Eastgate defeated the Russian Ivan Demidov. Dennis Phillips, the chip leader and favorite going into the final table finished third. Eastgate won not only the bracelet and $9,152,416 but also instant celebrity status. He will soon realize what it means to have every move of his covered by the media scanner.

Eastgate was a high-school graduate who dropped out of college because he knew his future lay in professional poker. He began his career by playing online. The first year was a struggle and he just broke even. But in the second year he had some big wins, which helped him build a bankroll. Eastgate was on his way. Eastgate turned pro in 2005 as soon as he became 19. Over the last three years Eastgate has made a name for himself playing on the Internet. He is one of the top online pros from Denmark, who focuses on short-handed and heads-up high-limit cash games at the $200/$400 level. Eastgate has played for Ladbrokes Poker and PokerStars. Eastgate did not enter the WSOP Main Event through a qualifier or a freebie. Fe put up the $10,000 buy-in in hard cash. Not many knew him on the first day of Main Event, but by the time the final table was set he was well known as the youngest player of the nine and only the second Dane to have the honor of reaching a WSOP Main Event final table. Another thing Eastgate would be remembered for on his way to the final table is knocking out the ravishing Tiffany Michelle, the last woman standing.

Eastgate was in fourth place when the final table began. He was chip leader going into the heads up. When the final two were decided Eastgate was asked who he felt would be the most difficult opponent in the heads-up. And Eastgate named Demidov. Surprisingly Demidov named Eastgate when answering the same question. Any way this was a great occasion for European poker. In every WSOP in the past there has been at least one American player in the head-up. This was the longest final table and also the fist time that the tournament blinds reached a million. Victory breeds confidence, even cockiness. After his big win Eastgate said, “I’m going for 11 bracelets”, another record currently held by Hellmuth.

Hellmuth was 24 when he won the WSOP Main Event in 1989 and held the record for 19 years. Eastgate is 22, and given that the qualifying age is 21, it could be longer before someone breaks Eastgate’s record.

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