1. 2008-11-23 01:09:48

   WSOP 2008 Main Event Final Table Trivia

   Hey everybody, here is some random trivia that fellow PokerSoup-er FloppyKim sent me. I hope you enjoy it. For the record, I was rooting for Demidov :)

   
   Photo courtesy of "ImageMasters DPI"

   • The 2008 World Series of Poker champion is Peter Eastgate, from Odense, Denmark. Eastgate is a 22-year-old professional poker player. He was born in Denmark and is a Danish citizen. However, he spends much of his time in London (UK) playing poker.
   • First-place paid $9,152,416 in prize money ??? the second-highest poker payout in history.
   • Eastgate's win instantly vaults him up in second place on the WSOP all-time money winners' list. Only 2006 world champion Jamie Gold has won more prize money, at $12,067,092.
   • With Eastgate's win, foreign-born players have now won 6 of the last 11 world championships (Nguyen, Furlong, Mortensen, Hachem, Yang, and Eastgate).
   • Eastgate became the youngest WSOP Main Event champion in history. He was aged 22 years, 10 months, and 28 days at the time of his victory. This smashed the previous record by nearly two years. The previous record was held by Phil Hellmuth, Jr. who was aged 24 years, 10 months, and 5 days at the time of his victory in 1989.
   • "I do not think I have realized yet what a big moment this is. It will come the next days and weeks. I expect I will get emotional about it later. But not as much now." ??? Peter Eastgate following his victory
   • Eastgate says he plans to go with his parents on a vacation after his victory. "I love my parents," he said. "I want to treat them as I have always treated them ??? with love and respect."
   • Eastgate admitted to being only a break even player during the first two years he turned pro.
   • Eastgate said he bought into the Main Event with cash. He did not qualify via a satellite.
   • Final table play officially started at 11:08 am. The first day ended 13 hours and 27 minutes later, at 12:35 am.
   • Continuation of the final table resumed at 10:34 pm the following night, and officially ended at 2:36 am. Hence, the combined length of the finale clocked in at 15 hours and 39 minutes. This broke the previous record for the longest WSOP Main Event final table, which took place in 2005 (won by Joe Hachem). The previous record was 14 hours. Note: Dinner breaks are excluded from time official records.
   • The final table lasted 278 hands. More than a third of the hands were played heads up.
   • Both days/nights attracted capacity crowds. One-time attendance was estimated at 1,065 given the number of seats inside the arena. However, many different spectators rotated through the arena over duration of the two day competition. The actual number of spectators who saw at least some portion of the WSOP final table live this year is estimated at about 3,000. This was the largest crowd ever to watch a poker game of any kind, in a live setting.
   • For the first time in poker history, a tournament blind reached the 1,000,000 mark. Level 39 was reached, meaning the big blind was 1,000,000 (the small blind was 500,000, along with a 150,000 ante). Interestingly, the 1,000,000 blind level with the mandatory 150,000 ante meant that each hand cost the equivalent in starting chips from 57.5 entrants into the Main Event.
   • This was the final day of a 62-day span which comprises the totality of 59 gold bracelet events (including WSOP-Europe).
   • Prior to play, each of the nine finalists received a Corum limited-edition W.S.O.P. "Romvlvs" timepiece. Each watch dial featured the card suit of choice, engraved with the player's name and starting chip count on the reverse. The special presentation was made by President of Corum Watches, Michael Wunderman.
   • The chip leader at the start of play was Dennis Phillips (St. Louis, MO). Peter Eastgate, the ultimate victor began play ranked fourth.
   • All players who made it to the final table were guaranteed a payout of $900,670. However, Harrah's added another $98,179 in prize money to the top eight finishers. This was the amount of interest paid on the $24,527,416 which accrued interest during the four-month layoff.
   • It's astonishing to think that the second-place cash prize ($5,809,595) still amounts to a figure larger than any other poker tournament in the world.
   • Demidov became the first player to ever make it to the final table of the WSOP Main Event and the WSOP-Europe Main Event. Incredibly, Demidov accomplished this feat within the same year.
   • The final hand of the 2008 WSOP came when Eastgate was dealt Ad-5s against Demidov's 4h-2h. The final board showed K-3-2-4-7 (suits were insignificant). Demidov called Eastgate's all-in move and tabled two pair ??? fours and twos. Eastgate showed A-5, good for the straight, five-high.
   • "I was lucky on the last hand. Ivan had two pair, and I had a wheel. When that happens heads-up, all the money is (going to go into the pot)." ??? Peter Eastgate explaining the winning final hand
   • Demidov was profoundly disappointed, but was also gracious in defeat. He congratulated the new champion and remained onstage afterward for multiple media interviews.
   • "I think I played really well at the start. But I did not play as well towards the end. It is really tough to say what went wrong. Every time I tried to bluff he called, and had a hand." ??? Ivan Demidov moments after being eliminated in second place
   • Phillips was accompanied by the largest cheering section in poker history. More than 300 friends and co-workers came to Las Vegas to support Phillips. Adorned in white shirts and logos, Phillips' army of supporters was one of the final table's most memorable highlights.
   • None of the top four finishers wore glasses at the final table. However, all nine players wore caps adorned with various logos.
   • Suharto says he plans to return to his job as an accountant, despite his big win. I made a commitment and I want to stick with it (regardless of poker)," he said.
   • "For the most part, I did not get a lot of hands. I think I played great. I was just really card dead." ??? Rheem following his elimination
   • Rheem was the only player at the final table who showed any political allegiances. Rheem sported an "Obama "08" button on his shirt.
   • Kim was ecstatic following Marguis' elimination. The unanticipated bust out inched him one spot higher in the prize money, worth an extra $388,000 in prize money.
   • The first elimination took two hours and ten minutes, which is believed to be a WSOP record (Note: Early years at the WSOP were not well documented).
   • The first flop was not seen until 39 minutes into play.
   • First-place prize money totaling $9,152,416 was brought to the main stage immediately following a 75-minute dinner break. The colossal display of banknotes weighed an estimated 500 pounds. Two years ago, WSOP organizers placed a similar amount of prize money onto a large table, causing it to buckle from the massive weight. This year, organizers learned their lesson and the numerous stacks of one-hundred dollars bills were placed upon a reinforced table.
   • The nine finalists were each paid 9th-place prize money ($900,670) when play was suspended on July 15th. The remainder of the prize money (the difference) was paid out at the Rio as players were eliminated.
   • Peter Eastgate played a total of 80.9 tournament hours to win his victory, not counting breaks or end of day recesses.
   • When the tournament ended, all 136,900,000 chips were in Peter Eastgate's stack. He began the tournament like everyone else, with just 20,000 in chips.
   • This was the largest overall World Series of Poker in history. A grand total of 58,720 players entered into 55 gold bracelet events surpassed last year's number of entries, which was 54,288. These figures represent an 8 percent increase over 2007.
   • This ranks as the second-largest live poker tournament in history. This year's turnout surpassed 2007 attendance (6,358) by 7.4 percent. Only the 2006 WSOP Main Event was larger than this tournament – with 8,773 entrants.
   • This is the second-largest tournament prize pool in history. The total prize pool amounted to $64,431,779. The top 666 finishers collected prize money.
   • There were 124 different nations and territories represented by all players who entered the 2008 Main Event. By contrast, there were 87 different countries present last year. This represents a 36 percent increase in international participation.

   Posted by Jason M at 2008-11-23 01:09:48

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