Peter Eastgate Signs on With Betfair Poker
2008 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Peter Eastgate has signed on to represent Team Betfair Poker.
The popular Danish player, who was last seen jumping off a bridge into a frigid canal after losing a $6000 prop bet, hasn’t exactly had the greatest impact on the live poker circuit of late. He only won $14,345 in 2011. In late 2010, Eastgate retired from poker, only to return a few months later (February to be exact).
Eastgate issued this statement at the time of his return:
“Sometimes in life a person can feel lost and wake up one morning not recognizing who he is. Last summer that was how I felt. Prior to winning the WSOP in 2008, my life was very much a good solid routine of playing online poker and hanging out with my friends and family. Winning the WSOP changed that. I relocated to London and started a new life, the life of a high profile poker pro. For almost 2 years I was in a constant spotlight, travelling from poker tournament to poker tournament, doing thousands of interviews and never had a chance to catch my breath. In the whirlwind that followed winning the WSOP I lost track of the most importing thing in my life, myself.
“Last summer I decided that I wanted to stop playing poker and catch my breath and find out who I am and what I want to do with my life. Over the last 8 months I have had a chance to reconnect with my friends and most important, my family. I have spent quality time with my family and really had an opportunity to figure out who I am and what I want to do with the rest of my life. When there is no financial pressure it can sometimes be hard to get motivated to move forward as a person.
“I truly enjoy playing poker. I love the competitive element and the mental challenges of tournament poker. I feel it is important to constantly grow as a person and for a while I didn’t feel I was moving in the right direction. Having had time to think about my life and future I feel I have figured out how I can combine playing poker with a healthy life outside of poker. I do not consider this a comeback, as I always knew there was a good chance I would play poker again.”
Eastgate made headlines since winning the 2008 WSOP Main Event after auctioning his bracelet off for $147,500 to benefit UNICEF.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
