Peter Eastgate Becomes Youngest-Ever WSOP Main Event Champion
Peter Eastgate has won the 2008 WSOP Main Event, topping a field of 6,844 and defeating Ivan Demidov after a gruelling back-and-forth heads-up at the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio.
Eastgate takes home $9,152,416 for his victory, the second-largest prize in poker history after the 2006 WSOP Main Event.
He is also the youngest WSOP Main Event champion in history, a title held by Phil Hellmuth for nearly twenty years.
2008 WSOP Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Eastgate | Denmark | $9,152,416 |
| 2 | Ivan Demidov | Russia | $5,809,595 |
| 3 | Dennis Phillips | United States | $4,517,773 |
| 4 | Ylon Schwartz | United States | $3,794,974 |
| 5 | Scott Montgomery | Canada | $3,096,768 |
| 6 | Darus Suharto | Canada | $2,418,562 |
| 7 | David Rheem | United States | $1,772,650 |
| 8 | Kelly Kim | United States | $1,288,217 |
| 9 | Craig Marquis | United States | $900,670 |
This year was the very first of the “November Nine” format, and the final tablists returned to Las Vegas for their shot at the WSOP Main Event title. All the players came to the table guaranteed $900,670 (which had been paid back in July, but they all had their eyes on the top prize of $9.1 million
Many of the nine finalists traveled to WSOP Europe and various other tournaments around the world over the last four months to hone their skills, but none made good like Ivan Demidov, who logged a second WSOP Main Event final table before he ever sat down at this one. Demidov finished third in the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event, and returned to Las Vegas looking to improve on that finish.
Final Table Action
Demidov started the final table second in chips behind Dennis Phillips, and the two ran into each other early at the final table.
After limping from under the gun, Philips watched his nearest rival, Demidov, raise in late position. Phillips quickly three-bet, and Demidov went into the tank for a long moment before finally making another big raise, putting the pressure right back on Phillips, who eventually called.
Both men had committed over a third of their chips before the J♠10♣8♦ flop came down. Philips tanked before betting a quarter of the pot, before Demidov moved all in.
Phillips spent a lot of time in the tank before folding as Demidov cemented his chip lead in dramatic fashion, as Phillips tumbled to almost the bottom of the chip counts.
Kelly Kim had come into the final table as the shortest of the short stacks, but managed a key double-up through Demidov, while Phillips stayed alive with a double through David "Chino" Rheem.
The First Elimination
Ultimately, it would take over 50 hands for the first elimination to occur. Craig Marquis shoved with 7♦7♥ and was called by Scott Montgomery with A♦Q♥.
The A♥10♠7♣ flop had something for everyone, with Marquis flopping a set and Montgomery flopping top pair. However, the J♦K♠ turn improved Montgomery to a Broadway straight to send home Marquis.
Content with the extra $300,000 for laddering, Kim would bust to Demidov in eight place, taking home $1,288,217.
Rheem had lost a couple of big pots early to find himself battling with a short stack, and although he doubled once, he would bust to Eastgate in cruel fashion. Rheem held A♠K♣ against the A♥Q♦ of his opponent, only for the Q♠7♦5♠9♦4♥ to favor his opponent and send Rheem to the rail in seventh place.
Another player finding himself among the short stacks was Philips, especially after taking a couple of huge hits early on. He would move all in against Ylon Schwartz, but found himself drawing thin.
Dennis Phillips: A♣Q♥
Ylon Schwartz: QxQx
The A♠J♣4♦ flop gave Phillips the lead in the hand. Schwartz was left drawing to one out on the 6♠ turn, and the 3♥ on the river gave Phillips a healthy stack once again.
Darus Suharto became the sixth-place finisher after shoving with A♥8♣ only to be sent to the rail by the A♠Q♦ of Montgomery.
Montgomery's time among the chip leaders was short-lived, however, as he lost a huge pot to Ivan Demidov.
Montgomery raised preflop with A♦9♦, and Demidov three-bet from the big blind with K♠K♦. After a minute or so in thought, Montgomery moved all in. Demidov called instantly and Montgomery needed help.
The board ran out 6♦6♣4♦10♠3♣ with Demidov dodging his opponent’s nut-flush draw to reclaim the chip lead.
Montgomery was left short and finally lost out in cruel fashion. Peter Eastgate opened and called a shove from Montgomery.
Scott Montgomery: A♦3♦
Peter Eastgate: 6♥6♠
Montgomery promptly hit his ace on the A♣Q♠4♦ flop and the turn brought the A♠. And when Dennis Phillips told the table he folded a six, Eastgate was drawing to one out. That one out proved to be the 6♦ on the river, giving Eastgate a full house and sending Montgomery home in fifth place.
Four-Handed Play
That hand put Eastgate firmly in second place in chips, close behind chip leader Ivan Demidov. Four-handed play continued for nearly two hours, with most hands being taken down by a preflop raise.
Finally, Ylon Schwartz and Peter Eastgate tangled for the final time, and Schwartz got the short end of it to finish in fourth place for $3,774,974.
Eastgate raised preflop with 5♣5♠, and Schwartz called. Both players checked the K♥8♥2♠ flop, and the turn brought the K♦. Schwartz checked the turn and Eastgate led out. Schwartz called again, and the river brought the 5♦.
Eastgate led out again, and Schwartz moved all in over the top with A♥10♣. Eastgate made the easy call with his rivered full house, and Schwartz was done.
At the end of the night, it was former chip leader Phillips who looked on as the two young European stars, Demidov and Eastgate, traded the chip lead back and forth for most of the late going.
The heads-up pairing was set when Phillips busted in third place courtesy of Peter Eastgate.
Eastgate raised preflop with 3♦3♣, and Phillips called. The flop came J♣4♦3♠, and Eastgate led out with a bet the same size as his preflop raise. Phillips thought for a moment, then moved all in over the top in a bold bluff with 10♣9♥.
Eastgate called instantly with his flopped set, and Phillips needed to draw perfect to stay alive. The A♠9♦ runout lacked all suspense and Phillips was drawing dead.
Heads-Up Action
After weathering a 117-day wait, Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov then began the last delay in the WSOP Main Event, with play suspended according to plan before resuming the following evening.
After sending Phillips to the rail to end Day 1 of the final table, Eastgate started heads-up play with a significant chip lead:
- Peter Eastgate 80,300,000
- Ivan Demidov 56,600,000
With blinds at 300,000/600,000 and a 75,000 ante, both players were very deep-stacked as heads-up play kicked off.
Ivan Demidov started an early surge, but play was mostly back-and-forth during the opening exchanges.
Blinds had jumped to 400,000/800,000 and a 100,000 ante in a hand where Demidov raised to 2,000,000 from the button and Eastgate called.
The flop came K♥J♣6♣, and both players checked. Eastgate bet 2,500,000 on the [5s turn and Demidov called.
The river was the 3♥. Demidov bet 6,000,000. Eastgate called and mucked when Demidov tabled K♠3♠ for two pair. That hand gave Demidov the chip lead for the first time in the heads-up match.
Eastgate moved within striking distance of the chip lead slowly over the next few hands before both players limped to the flop 8♣3♠2♥.
Eastgate led out for 1,000,000. Demidov thought for a moment before calling, and both players checked the 5♣ turn. Demidov checked the 9♦ on the river, and Eastgate led out with a bet of 2,67,000. Demidov called, then mucked as Eastgate showed J♦9♥ for a rivered pair of nines.
Just before the first break of heads-up play, Eastgate extended his chip lead when he called a 2,800,000 raise from Demidov pre-flop and checked the A♦J♥3♠ flop.
Demidov check-called 3,250,000 on the J♦ turn and the river was the Q♣. Demidov checked for the third time and Eastgate bet 6,950,000.
Demidov called instantly only to muck his hand when Eastgate tabled A♣Q♥ for top two pair. That hand put the players back to close to their starting stacks, with Eastgate holding the chip lead.
- Ivan Demidov - 50,575,000
- Peter Eastgate - 86,325,000
Eastgate Extends Lead
Back from break, Eastgate never let up on the throttle, moving over the hundred-million-chip mark soon after.
Eastgate limped, and Demidov raised an additional 1,950,000. Eastgate called, and the flop came 9♥7♠6♦. Demidov bet 3,625,000 and Eastgate thought for a moment before calling.
Both players checked the turn when the J♥ landed, and Demidov led out for 7,000,000 when the Q♠ hit the river. Almost before Demidov finished the bet, Eastgate called with J♠8♠ for second pair. Demidov showed A♠10♥ for ace-high, and Eastgate dragged a big pot to cement his lead.
Play slowed down for a bit as Demidov picked his spots carefully to try and grab chips where he could in the face of Eastgate's lead. Finally, the dam burst and the two players collided in another massive confrontation.
Demidov raised to 2,000,000 on the button and Eastgate called. Eastgate checked the K♦10♦7♣ flop, and Demidov checked behind.
Eastgate bet 2,500,000 on the J♦ turn and Demidov raised to 8,000,000. Eastgate called and checked the 3♠ river. Demidov thought before betting 12,000,000. Eastgate made the call in the biggest pot yet in the heads-up match.
Demidov showed A♣9♠ for ace-high, but Eastgate tabled 7♦4♦ for a flush and dragged a pot worth over 44 million.
The final hand came down to big hand over big hand as Eastgate finally put Demidov away as the runner-up.
In a limped pot, Eastgate bet 1,250,000 on the K♠3♥2♦ flop and Demidov called. Demidov checked the 4♣ turn and Eastgate bet 2,000,000.
Demidov check-raised to 6,000,000, committing half his stack to the pot. Eastgate thought briefly before making the call, and Demidov announced an all-in as soon as the 7♠ hit the river.
Eastgate snap-called, and Demidov tabled 4♥2♥ for a turned two pair. Eastgate then revealed his hand A♦5♠ for the wheel straight and the win.
With thanks to original reporting from John Hartness. Pictures courtesy of The Hendon Mob and GGPoker
