Poker News November 11th, 2008

World Series of Poker has youngest champ ever

A 22-year-old Danish poker professional won the World Series of Poker early Tuesday, turning a wheel straight on the last hand to become the youngest champion in the history of the no-limit Texas Hold ‘em main event.

Peter Eastgate hit an ace-to-five straight on the turn and instantly called an all-in bet from Ivan Demidov on the river to win the title and $9,152,416. Demidov held two pair, twos and fours.

The previous youngest champion was 11-time gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, who was 24 when he won the tournament in 1989.

“It feels good to beat Phil’s record,” Eastgate said after taking pictures with stacks of $100 bills and his new gold bracelet. “I was not focused on the record that I could break, I was just focused on the game.”

Eastgate said he got a call from Hellmuth wishing him luck before the more than three-hour session.

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Perth player misses making poker final

The final of the World Series of Poker, with its $9.15-million U.S. first prize, will be televised tonight with Scott Montgomery no more than a spectator.

The 27-year-old professional player from Perth reached what organizers labeled the “November Nine” in Las Vegas, but he bowed out Sunday night and missed last night’s final, which was taped for broadcast tonight (TSN, 10 p.m.).

“I certainly wanted to finish better than fifth,” Montgomery told reporters later.

This year has been referred to as his “breakout year” as a poker player, with more than $1.3 million in tournament earnings heading into the World Series, and he more than doubled that with his $3.1-million prize for placing fifth.

Montgomery started playing poker about four years ago, while teaching English in Japan, using his down time to play and study the game.

His great 2008 run began in February at the World Poker Tour’s Los Angeles Poker Classic $990,000 No-Limit Hold ‘em championship. He made it to the final table, which included eventual winner Phil Ivey, and won $296,000 for finishing fifth.

You gotta know when to Texas hold’em at UMSL

Are you good at card games?

If you are (or even if you are not), the University of Missouri-St. Louis holds annual poker games and this year was the “Texas Hold ‘em Tournament!”

The tournament is usually played with a 52-card deck, and needs at least two players with no more than 11 players.

The Texas Hold ‘em Tournament was held on South Campus in the Provincial Hall from 7 -11 p.m. on Thursday night and officially started at 7:15 p.m.

The event drew in 46 players.

Charlotte Caeys, graduate student, business administration, came here from France and said she learned to play poker here, and has loved it from the first time she played. “I found out [how to play poker] on the Internet,” Caeys said.

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