Peter Eastgate Auctions WSOP 2008 Bracelet on eBay

Peter Eastgate, winner of the 2008 World Series of Poker Championship, shocked the world last summer when he announced his untimely retirement from an intensely successful professional poker career. He did it again last week when he decided to auction off his 2008 WSOP Championship Bracelet on eBay.com.

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It’s not that Eastgate doesn’t appreciate the coveted bracelet, but he is certain that it could bring a pretty penny for a charitable organization. Peter intends to give the proceeds from the auction to UNICEF to benefit needy children. The decision has the poker world reeling – a worthy cause indeed; but the WSOP bracelet?!

Further astonishing was a declaration from Antanas “Tony G” Guoga, who blogged his intentions to purchase the golden trinket on eBay, followed by a desire to fashion the bracelet into a collar for Zasko, his beloved German Shepherd.

“I have decided that I am going to buy Peter Eastgate’s WSOP Main Event winner’s bracelet,” Guoga posted on his blog. “It is currently trading at $16,500 on eBay and I am going to lead the bidding at $17,500 – I don’t expect any further bids and as I know there are very few people with the heart and courage to challenge a determined Tony G.”

In explanation of the intended purchase, Tony G continued, “What am I going to do with Peter’s bracelet? Well, the plan is to get it adapted into a special collar for my trusted German Shepherd Zasko. The ultimate dog bling – as my gladiator and protector he deserves to be kitted out in such style. My dog will be wearing Eastgate’s bracelet.”

As the auction came to a close, with a lot more bids than Guoga predicted – 116 in total – an eBay member by the username 7***1 won the final bid at $147,500. The winning bid was made just twenty-two minutes before the end of the auction.

The question now is this. Is 7***1 a moniker of Tony G’s, or did he fail to purchase the bracelet for his K-9 friend, Zasko? The poker world lies in wait to see if the dog will appear in public toting the WSOP charm around his neck, or if Guoga failed to follow through on his purchase.

If it turns out Guoga did buy Eastgate’s WSOP bracelet, there will be a multitude of upset poker aficionados. They argue that converting the most coveted of all poker awards into a dog’s collar is nothing short of disgraceful. Some say that Guoga is merely trying to draw personal attention.

In his defense, before the auction ended, Tony G blogged the following: “People will accuse me of trying to make a mockery of Peter’s WSOP Main Event win but that is not the intention – I really want to do this. I respect Peter’s decision to turn around and say that’s it – each to their own and hope that the money I give him for the bracelet goes to a good cause.”