Peter Eastgate Gets Hot at the Right Times to Win a World Championship

The 2008 World Series of Poker $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event attracted a field of 6,844 players, which was up slightly from the year before. The prize pool stood north of $64 million, with $9,152,416 going to the winner. The field played down over the first half of July, and then play was halted when the final nine were determined — set to resume Nov. 9. The time off proved to be a big advantage for Ivan Demidov, who cashed in third place at the World Series of Poker Europe main-event final table in October. He came into the November final table widely regarded as the favorite in second chip-position.

Few people expected that Danish player Peter Eastgate would take home the top prize, as he quietly entered the final table in fourth chip-position. Still, he had a lot of ammo to work with, holding 18,375,000, but many eyes were focused on Demidov and his 24.4 million, as well as overall chip leader Dennis Phillips, who held 26,295,000. Demidov jumped into a chip lead of nearly 36 million early on after winning a huge pot against Phillips, and it seemed predestined that whoever was going to win the final table would have to go through Demidov to become world champion.

Peter Eastgate Takes Out a Tough Opponent for His First Elimination

The long slumber proved tough to awaken from for most of the November Nine, and during that process Eastgate moved into the top three in chips.

The first elimination didn’t come until four hours into play, when Craig Marquis fell in ninth place. Short-stacked Kelly Kim moved all in on the very next hand, and he fell in eighth place. The most widely recognized professional at the final table, Chino Rheem, was the next to move all in, and he did so with A♠ K♣. Eastgate made the call with A♥ Q♦, and the board ran out Q♠ 7♦ 5♠ 9♦ 4♥ to bust Rheem in seventh place.
Eastgate’s first final-table elimination scored him just over 27 million when the average stack was 22.8 million. He was now in second chip-position, just about 3 million behind Demidov.

Eastgate Rides a Hot Streak to a Heads-Up Chip Lead

Darus Suharto was eliminated in sixth place a short time later. Eastgate then won a pot to take the chip lead for the first time at the final table, but Demidov took it back shortly thereafter when he crippled Scott Montgomery. Eastgate had to eliminate Montgomery in fifth place to keep pace with Demidov.

On his final hand, Montgomery pushed all of his chips into the middle and was called by Eastgate. Their cards:

Montgomery: A♦ 3♦
Eastgate: 6♥ 6♠

Board: A♣ Q♠ 4♦ A♠

Phillips then revealed to Tournament Director Jack Effel that he had mucked a 6 when he folded preflop, and Effel announced this to the crowd at the Penn & Teller Theater. This left Eastgate with one final out in the deck.

River: 6♦

The crowd broke into a loud mixture of cheers and groans in a confusion of excitement and agony when the case 6 rolled off the deck, and after Montgomery’s tournament run came to an end, Eastgate held 47.6 million to Demidov’s 49.1. They each held more than twice the amount of their next-closest competitor at that point.

Eastgate’s momentum continued when he took out Ylon Schwartz in fourth place. Eastgate raised to 1.5 million preflop from under the gun, and Phillips mucked on the button. Schwartz then made the call in the small blind, and Demidov got out of the way in the big blind. The flop was dealt K♥ 8♥ 2♠, and both players checked. The K♦ fell on the turn, and Schwartz checked. Eastgate bet 1.75 million, and Schwartz made the call. The river brought the 5♦, and Schwartz checked again. Eastgate bet 4.6 million, and Schwartz check-raised all in. Eastgate made the call, and Schwartz flipped over A♥ 10♣. Eastgate flipped over pocket fives, and he won the hand with a full house to take the chip lead.

Eastgate then increased that chip lead by taking out Phillips in third place. Eastgate opened the action for 1.5 million from the small blind after Demidov mucked on the button, and Phillips made the call. The flop was dealt J♣ 4♦ 3♠, and Eastgate bet 1.5 million. Phillips raised all in for his final 14.55 million, and Eastgate couldn’t have been happier to make the call with a set.

Their cards:

Eastgate: 3♦ 3♣
Phillips: 10♣ 9♥

Turn and river: A♠ and 9♦

Phillips was drawing dead after the turn, and Eastgate’s hot streak allowed him to enter the heads-up final with a chip lead of 79.5 million to Demidov’s 57.7 million.

Eastgate Stumbles Early Against Demidov, Then Goes On Another Hot Streak

Demidov came out swinging during the heads-up match, and he took the chip lead during the first hour of heads-up play. By the second hour, Eastgate had control back in hand and 100 million in his stack. After surviving the early challenge, Eastgate started a consistent march to victory with a hot run of unstoppable hands.
He won a 44-million-chip pot after calling on the river of a K♦ 10♦ 7♣ J♦ 3♠ board with 7♦ 4♦ in the hole versus a bluff from Demidov. That put Eastgate at 107 million, while Demidov held just 28 million.

The next confrontation saw Demidov raise to 2 million preflop on the button and Eastgate make the call. The flop was dealt 8♠ 8♣ 5♣, and both players checked. The 3♦ fell on the turn, and Eastgate bet 2.5 million. Demidov made the call, and the river brought the 9♣. Eastgate then bet 4.5 million, and Demidov called. Eastgate flipped up 3♥ 3♠ for a full house, and Demidov mucked. Eastgate was now up to 117 million, while Demidov was floundering with just about 20 million.

On the final hand, Eastgate limped from the button, and Demidov checked before a flop was dealt K♠ 3♥ 2♦. Demidov checked, and Eastgate bet 1.25 million. Demidov made the call, and the turn was the 4♣. Demidov checked, Eastgate bet 2 million, and Demidov check-raised to 6 million. Eastgate called, and the river was dealt 7♠. Demidov moved all in for 7.95 million, and Eastgate made the call. Demidov revealed 4♥ 2♥, but Eastgate held A♦ 5♠ for a wheel. He won the title of world champion and the top prize worth more than $9 million.

How the Hand Histories Look Now

Did Eastgate basically win the final table even before the heads-up final began as the result of a hot run that saw him eliminate Montgomery, Schwartz, and Phillips in succession? Did he get lucky in the heads-up final against Demidov by hitting huge hands like a flush, full house, and a straight? Or did he win the heads-up match by weathering the storm of Demidov’s initial attack long enough to put himself in a good position for a second hot streak?

The answers to those questions are for you to decide. ♠