Ivan Demidov - the New WSOP Favorite?

"I have had phenomenal results playing offline tournaments."

 

Ivan Demidov recently finished third in the Betfair Poker World Series of Poker Europe Main Event - a great boost of confidence for the Russian who will be in second place when the 2008 WSOP Main Event starts.

But that's not the only success Demidov has had since he became one of the November Nine.

"Making the Final Table in such a big event gave me confidence in my skills. I have had phenomenal results playing offline tournaments in Russia since my return from Vegas," Demidov said in an interview with the WSOP weekly newsletter.

Two first places and one second out of four tournaments played are Demidovs results from his home country. In the future, he will be a regular on the international poker scene.

"I can now afford to play any offline event I want and whenever I want. I'll be traveling a lot more now, in fact I won't be back home for almost four months once I leave for London."

With his amazing results of late and his big stack Ivan Demidov will be a force to be reckoned with at the 2008 WSOP Main Event final table. But he has great respect for his opponents, especially the Danish pro Peter Eastgate.

"He was the toughest to play against and he is a very strong online player, which I respect a lot. However I haven't played a lot with some players at the final talbe like Montgomery for example, so it's hard to judge them and their skill."