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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
