Peter Eastgate Back in Action

Peter Eastgate has always been one of the biggest personalities in the poker industry, especially after his win at the 2008 WSOP. That’s why it was really a big shock when he announced that he would be quitting poker to try other ventures – a statement made along with the grand gesture of selling off his 2008 WSOP Main Event bracelet for the benefit of charity. Now, however, it seems that Peter Eastgate’s back in the scene, though whether it’s permanent or not is still up for speculation.

National Heads Up Poker Championships

As you probably know, the National Heads Up Poker Championships is an invitation only heads up tournament with spots for only 64 players. As such, it’s pretty hard to get into this exclusive list. The biggest names in the industry will be there. This 2011, however, the NHPC will be moving back to Caesars Palace. It’s certainly going to be interesting to see who turns up in the list, aside from the usual big wigs, of course.

Guess Who’s Back

The National Heads Up Poker Championship can only accommodate a small field; so the more ‘elite’ its players can get, the better. Eastgate, as one of the winners of the WSOP Main Event for the past three years, particularly in 2008, received an automatic bid into the invitation-only event. There was a bit of a conflict here because Eastgate already announced his retirement from the game last year, even sold off his bracelet to do so. For many people, that last act of his more than represented that he would make a clean break with the industry and truly move on to other things. However, it seems as if he’s going to make an exception this time and join the NHPC. Nobody knows whether he’s going to be back for good or if he’s going to just have one last ‘hoorah’ before finally quitting?

In which case, it would seem like an undermining of the grand gesture of selling his bracelet for charity. Then again, this is Eastgate’s last year of having automatic eligibility. It’s not easy to qualify for the NHPC, after all, and this is his last opportunity to join, especially if he’s not going to play as a pro anymore. Still, this could be his big comeback, despite the fact that he has only been gone for a few months. This could be his way of saying “Okay, I tried other ventures, but I sorely missed poker, so here I am!”. Of course, it would be quite a bummer that he no longer has his bracelet. Still, all things considered, this is probably a one-time thing. It’d be a huge no-no to waste an opportunity like this, after all.

Casino Research