Eastgate Reigns at WSOP

Danish player Peter Eastgate reigns triumphant Tuesday supplanting Phil Hellmuth as the youngest World Series of Poker Main Event champion to date in casino.

The grueling heads-up match lasted 104 hands and saw both finalists gain an edge by turns. Ivan Demidov, who came into the face-off short-stacked with $56.6 million in chips to Eastgate’s $80.3 million, pursued an aggressive strategy beginning with the very first hand. His loose, from-the-hip style seemed to pay off early on as he clocked Eastgate several successive times to pull out the lead in the first four hours.

Lady Luck turned on the Russian, though, rewarding Eastgate with several sweet-spot deliveries when he called Demidov’s bluff on an ace-high and, then, when he drew the Russian in, meanwhile having pulled out a flush on the turn.

With $100 million in chips stacked against Demidov, Eastgate’s win was only a matter of time. In the final hand, the Dane turned a straight on a board of 2-K-3-4 off his hold-up A-5 and drew Demidov in with expert ease. The Russian, who was sitting on a 4-2, called Eastgate’s $1.2 million bet after the flop, then followed him in on the turn. At the river (another 4), Demidov continued to press his luck going all-in on a lo pair that was sunk by Eastgate’s straight.

Eastgate walks away from the tournament with a hefty $9.15 million check and the WSOP XXXIX bracelet. For his second place finish, Demidov will also receive a sizeable slice of the pie to the tune of $5.8 million.