WSOP runner-up denied $6.4M profit by backer
Ivan Demidov may have almost $7M in recorded tournament earnings, but how much of that did he actually get to keep?
Remember Ivan Demidov? The man who somehow managed to make both the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Nine, AND the WSOP Europe Main Event final table in 2008?
He finished in 3rd place at the WSOPE Main Event for over $600,000, then amazingly came in 2nd at the WSOP Main Event and collected a massive $5,800,000 pay day. At least that's what we thought happened.
It's now emerged that after what the Russian describes as a "long and dark" dispute with his backer for the 2008 festival, he didn't actually receive a single cent of that $6.4M.
"The second place finish changed my life, but not because of the money", Demidov said in a recent interview. "My backer didn't pay me and I ended up getting nothing."
"I'm still living the dream"
Demidov's backer, who remains anonymous, had originally agreed to take an 80% return on any profit on the investment, but after an alleged bankruptcy simply demanded the entire sum.
Such a significant setback would knock most individuals for six, but Demidov - cemented by the fact no one even knew about the incident until some 7 years later - simply got on with his life as if nothing had happened.
"Thanks to my 2nd place finish I was contracted by PokerStars and this enabled me to open a popular website in Russia. That gave me the bankroll to play what I want and do what I want, which is what I've always dreamed of."
As a reminder of Demidov at his explosive best, check out this clip of him destroying fellow November Niner Dennis Phillips in an awesome hand at that 2008 final table:
