We Have a New Poker Champion
Peter Eastgate won the 2008 WSOP Main Event this year, bringing home more than $9 million. By winning, he’s taken Phil Hellmuth’s record for being the youngest player to ever win the WSOP. At 22, Eastgate will probably hold this record for quite some time, as Hellmuth was only 24 when he won the main event in 1989. Eastgate was only three years old when Hellmuth won the title, who has held it now for 19 years.
Eastgate, born in Odense, Denmark is also only the second Dane to make it to the final table, and the first to win the WSOP. He has been playing poker since 2005, and in three short years, he is now the #1 poker player in the world. His first year, he broke even, after choosing to play poker instead of going to college. The next year he profited and it’s been an exciting ride since. He has been associated with PokerStars and Ladbrokes online poker rooms.
Eastgate is a top Net pro, but didn’t win his seat via a satellite. He actually paid the $10,000 buy-in, which is now well-worth the price tag. After making it through 6800 players and knocking out Tiffany Michelle, his path to the final table and then to the winner’s seat was obviously written in the stars. After 18 hours at the Main Event, he was tired, rich, and his arm was feeling a little heavy as he displayed the WSOP bracelet with pride.
He credits his win to knowing when to fold. There were many instances where he did not fold, though, in the hand against Michelle, and then at the final table when he wen all in against Dennis Phillips, who folded, making Eastgate the chip leader. Also, Eastgate attributes his winning style to knowing how to read his opponents psychologically. He says he can get into their mindset and think like they do in order to read their game.
With the money he won, he wants to travel well and eat well, but is mostly looking forward to treating his friends and family well. What a nice guy!
