Main Event Champ Peter Eastgate Absent from World Series of Poker

Players from around the world have descended upon Las Vegas for the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), which kicks off its 22nd and 23rd events today from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. Curiously absent is 2008 WSOP Main Event champion Peter Eastgate.

According to the PokerStars Blog, the World Cup in South Africa, Eastgate’s waning desire to win another bracelet, and the sizzling Las Vegas heat are three of the major reasons that he’s been MIA from the ongoing tournament series. He candidly told PokerStars Blog officials, “I don’t have the motivation to play all the small events at the WSOP. That would be a waste of money. To me it’s not that important to win bracelet number two.” Accordingly, expect to see Eastgate cough up the buy-in for only one tournament this year, the $10,000 Main Event.

Eastgate banked $9.1 million after besting Russian sensation Ivan Demidov in the 2008 WSOP Main Event. The tournament drew 6,844 players and Eastgate briefly became the youngest champion ever of the prestigious tournament in history at age 22. One year later, fellow PokerStars pro Joe Cada would trump Eastgate’s record. Previously, UB.com front man Phil Hellmuth was the youngest Main Event champ at age 24.

Eastgate also questioned whether fellow pros like Tom “durrrr” Dwan would enter smaller WSOP preliminary events if it weren’t for the multitude of side bets on the line: “I’m sure if they didn’t have huge bracelet bets going on that many of the other big poker names would feel the same as me. I see no reason to enter into such bets, as I’m primarily a Hold’em player. If you’re to enter bracelet bets, you have to play all the events and I have never had a flair for Mixed games.” According to Tao of Poker, Dwan’s side action could be worth up to $15 million.

The 2008 Main Event champ will be ardently rooting on his home nation of Denmark during the World Cup, which began today in South Africa. Denmark is off until Monday, when it faces the Netherlands in Johannesburg at 7:30am ET. Eastgate labeled the World Cup “an event I look forward to very much, especially to see all the big teams play great football.”

A debate raged on TwoPlusTwo as to whether Eastgate was obligated to play an active role in the 2010 WSOP by virtue of being a past Main Event winner. One poster opined, “If I had millions and a Main Event bracelet and was in my 20’s, I would certainly go to South Africa this summer. The WSOP is every year; World Cup is not. Pretty easy IMO.” Another community member empathized, “Eastgate seems like he is not the guy that feels he had to prove anything, so I can totally understand his decision.”

Eastgate has been extremely busy on the poker circuit until this point. The Dane finished fifth in the 2010 National Heads-Up Poker Championship for $75,000 and took seventh in the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) High Roller Bounty Shootout at the Venetian in February for $85,000. In January, Eastgate landed in eighth place in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Deauville Main Event for nearly $100,000. One year after winning the 2008 WSOP Main Event, he took 78th in the 2009 installment for $69,000.

Despite missing out on the annual poker series in Las Vegas, Eastgate told the PokerStars Blog that he is quite content sitting on the sidelines: “It suits me perfectly to be home in London at the moment and leave all the attention to the defending World Champion Joe Cada. On the other hand, I’ll make sure to be motivated to play a good Main Event when I arrive in Vegas in July!”