2008 Main Event Champ Peter Eastgate steps back from poker

In a shocking announcement made early this month, 2008 WSOP Main Event winner, Peter Eastgate revealed via press release that he's retiring from poker indefinitely. The 24-year-old Danish poker player and PokerStars.com sponsored pro announced his decision through a statement issued by PokerStars through its blog, and said that he has lost much of the motivation, connection and excitement that he experimented during the 2008 Main Event.

The announcement was made about two weeks ago and only two years after breaking 11-time gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth's record as the youngest World Series of Poker champion ever. The achievement paid Eastgate $9,152,416, the second largest poker prize in WSOP history after the $12 million first prize won by Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event.

Right after winning the 2008 Main Event, Eastgate continued adding accolades to his highly successful poker resume, winning the 2009 Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure and $343,000, and finishing in second place at the 2009 EPT London for another $848,734.

Eastgate, who has $11 million in career earnings, did not revealed what he intends to do next and said he will need some time to figure out what he wants to do with his poker winnings.