Las Vegas, Nevada was the scene of some raucous partying
when Danish poker star Peter Eastgate walked away with $9,152,416 and the
World Series of Poker title.
Youngest champ ever
Peter Eastgate knows all about winning and the crowning
glory came in Las Vegas where he was recently crowned the World Series of Poker
champion, beating Ivan Demidov in the final stretch.
It was an ace-to-five straight vs. Demidov's two fours and pair
of twos.
But the young champ was all about the game. He was so
focused that he paid little heed to the vast sum of money he had just claimed
as his own. After a marathon session of 3 hours and a 7-1 chip advantage, he
won the big kitty. Those winnings were significant - to the tune of over $9 million
plus a gold bracelet for good measure.
Demidov does well
The runner-up Demidov - a 27-year old Russian, walked away
with a staggering $5,809,595. Not too shabby for the loser. The advantage
ebbed and flowed between Demidov and Eastgate with the latter losing his 24 million
chip advantage within 30 minutes of the opening game. A good run saw Eastgate
regain the advantage with aces, queens and two pairs.
Demidov is thrilled at his performance; although he would
prefer to have won he feels that the game now has a far wider reach than merely
attracting American players. Now far more Latin American, European and other
players are playing high-stakes poker.
Eastgate runs through
The man of the moment was definitely Eastgate. He breezed
past his tough competition with careful plays and big betting. As he outmuscled
his opposition, he claimed some 137 million chips to win the tournament. In
his glory quest the Dane beat five players at the final table.
Of some nearly 7,000 competitors, only 9 remained over 11
days in July. Not a bad score for Denmark's Peter Eastgate!