A 22-year-old college dropout from Denmark won the World Series of Poker and its $9.15 million prize, then spent the night partying with friends at a suite reserved for this city’s biggest gamblers.
Peter Eastgate became the tournament’s youngest champ early Tuesday, making a wheel straight and eliminating his final opponent, 27-year-old semiprofessional card player Ivan Demidov. Demidov held two pair, twos and fours, when Eastgate called his all-in bet.
Eastgate hit poker’s jackpot about 2 1/2 years after he started playing no-limit Texas Hold ’em with high school friends in Denmark. He said he tried college for a week, but got into poker and found out he was good enough to make a living as a pro. He started at the lowest stakes and worked up to build a sizable bankroll.
Eastgate now wants to take a long vacation with his family before examining his options, although a life of scholarship might not be one of them.
“I’m not necessarily going back to college, but I will look for more opportunities to become a more wise person,” he told The Associated Press.
Eastgate had said he would have been happy with a top-five finish, but he thought he had a chance to win it all after eliminating a few players from the final table.
“My motivation was $9 million and a bracelet,” Eastgate said.
Demidov did not exactly leave a pauper. He took home more than $5.8 million for second place.
“I’m disappointed, but I’m going to be happy. That’s the way it turned out,” he said.
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FROM NEWS SERVICES
