November Nine Countdown -- Peter Eastgate SpeaksYoung Dane Speaks about Journey to World Series Final Table |
|
Dane Peter Eastgate will take his place at the final table of the World Series main event as the youngest at just 22-years-old. The intellectual whizz will start the day fourth in chips, and is guaranteed to take home a life-changing amount of money — at least $900,670. He is not a face that emerged out of the blue however, as he has previously made the money in the 2008 European Poker Tour Scandinavian Open main event, and also made the final table of the 2007 Irish Poker Open.
After becoming one of the elite November Nine group, Eastgate went on to cash in 18th place at the EPT London for $28,606, proving himself to be consistent, and an opponent who should be approached with hesitation.
Rebecca McAdam: Can you talk me through your main event?
Peter Eastgate: The first four days I just kept close to the average stack. By day 5, I got above average and by day 6 I got to the top ten.
RM: Were there any lucky breaks or major hands you chipped up on?
PE: There were a lot of major hands throughout the tournament, but I was only all in twice. One of them was queens versus A-K, the other hand was aces versus A-K. On day 7 there were a lot of major hands, like the hand where I busted Tiffany Michelle, I got a lot of chips off that hand. The one hand I busted Brandon Cantu, I got a lot of chips off that hand as well. Sometimes I lost, but ...
RM: Do you think luck plays a big part?
PE: Yeah, for this main event I would say 80 or 90 per cent. You’ve got to know the basics, but there are a lot of players ... anything can happen.
RM: Was it your first World Series?
PE: Yes.
RM: What did you think of it? Was it what you expected?
PE: I had heard some other people talking about it not being that great and so many bad players, and it was actually true, for the first and second day, there were so many bad players. By day 3 or 4 there was a lot of good players left, the others had gone home.
RM: Did you have a strategy going into the main event?
PE: I did’t really have a strategy, I just take it hand per hand, situational, just playing my hand, position and stuff like that.
RM: Would you have a strategy now for the final table?
PE: Yeah, but I can’t reveal it!
RM: Have you been studying the other players?
PE: Not that much because I haven’t been able to see the ESPN tapes yet. I’d like to watch them.
RM: What have you been doing since?
PE: I’ve been mostly travelling around, partly playing poker, partly on vacation.
RM: What kind of tournaments do you play?
PE: Mostly cash games.
RM: Would you make more money live or online?
PE: I would say online. I prefer playing online. I like the efficiency, you’re getting so much more hands per hour, and you can come and go whenever you want. The online poker community is always open, there are always games around. I like that part very much.
RM: Did you find it difficult switching from online to live?
PE: Not that difficult because I pretty much know all the fundamentals.
RM: Do you think people take young players seriously, and respect them?
PE: Yeah I feel like they respect me in Denmark. We talk to each other about hands and support each other, and that way become better players.
RM: What’s your online name?
PE: It’s Isser. That’s my nickname.
RM: Who impresses you or influences you the most?
PE: I’m impressed by a lot of guys. I can learn a lot by reading their blogs and their views. I’m pretty open ... that’s part of the reason why I have no specific strategy for the final table, or any game. Just listen to other people’s views about different situations. My game hasn’t changed a whole lot. My game’s basics haven’t changed.
RM: Have you been playing any of the big events, like the European Poker Tour events?
PE: Yeah, I’ve played three or four of the EPT’s.
RM: How did you do in the events you’ve played so far?
PE: I got into the money in the EPT Copenhagen but besides that I busted out pretty early. I played in the World Series of Poker Europe, which didn’t go well. I busted out pretty early in that one too. [Eastgate went on to cash in 18th place for $28,606 at the EPT London shortly after this interview.]
RM: Ivan Demidov did very well in the WSOPE main event, does that scare you?
PE: Well, I said I wasn’t superstitious but I don’t mind him using all his luck.
RM: Has your life changed much since the main event?
PE: Not that much, it’s pretty much the same.
RM: What would you do if you won?
PE: There’s two parts to that. There’s the money, and then there’s the fame. The money I would invest pretty wisely, but the fame ... I don’t know.
RM: How do you prepare mentally for something as big as the final table?
PE: Think of the different situations that could occur and put me off balance. Things that wouldn’t go as planned, like losing hands and stuff like that. I try to focus and play my best game, go and talk to my friends, and just keep confident, because I’m pretty realistic about events, and there’s a lot of luck involved so there’s no guarantees. That’s poker!
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
