Peter Eastgate on Inside Poker

Earlier this year, Peter Eastgate abruptly retired from poker and did not appear at this summer’s WSOP Tournament.

“When I started playing poker for a living, it was never my goal to spend the rest of my life as a professional poker player. My goal was to become financially independent. I achieved that by winning the WSOP main event in 2008. The period following has taken me on a worldwide tour, where I have seen some amazing places and met many new people; it has been a great experience.”

EASTGATE QUITING POKER

Fame and Glory is just a thing of the present but you can't have that forever. Everything has a reason why they came to our life. Eventually, someone will come and grab it. That's what poker player, Peter Eastgate thought.

“In the 20 months following my WSOP win, I feel that I have lost my motivation for playing high-level poker along the way, and I have decided that now is the time to find out what I want to do with the rest of my life. What this will be, I do not yet know. I have decided to take a break from live tournament poker, and try to focus on Peter Eastgate, the person. I want to thank PokerStars, my friends and family for their support over the last 20 months, and for their support in my decision to take a break from poker."

Pokerstars, Peter Eastgate's chosen sponsor, respected his decision to quit poker. They released a statement saying:

“We know that poker will miss this world-class player and world-class role model, but PokerStars has only the deepest respect for Peter’s decision. Poker is about determination and excitement, and if Peter lacks this in his game, the right decision is to take a break. Peter has played amongst world champions and he has carried his title in the most admirable fashion.”