About Peter Costa

Peter was born in Cyprus but left for Liverpool, England, at a relatively young age to escape the Turkish invasion. His family started a fish and chips business, which eventually grew into a chain. Peter, however, soon found that a different kind of chip better suited his fancy.

When he was 19, he married a girl from Cyprus in what was basically an arranged relationship. In the year 2000, his only daughter graduated from university and it was then that Peter decided he had to make changes in his life. He says of that time: "I had a business and a home that had been paid off within three years from my poker earnings. I was so desperate to get out, I just told my wife she could have everything."

He only had money for one-month's rent but fortuitously found a room in a house owned by Jo, a female finishing an advanced degree in Psychotherapy. The two shared confidences; she helped him to get on with his life and encouraged him to pursue his dreams via poker. He says: "I saw poker as my savior really. It gave me a reason to go on. I always had a desire for challenges, and I saw this as something to go for."

Peter has since become one of the world's top poker players. One of his tournament wins was broadcast over Britain's 'Late Night Poker.' People still talk about his dazzling heads-up display that evening. The exposure made him a star and gained him the backing of Laulie Butters. Peter says: "He made me feel ten feet tall. He asked me how much I needed to go to a major tournament in Los Angeles, and when I told him I needed $8,000 he gave me the money and told me not to worry if I should lose."

In L.A., Peter played and won two one-table satellites in the Commerce Casino. The following day, he signed up for the big No-Limit Hold'em event. He recalls that, "I got assigned table one and seat one. I just knew I was going to win the tournament." Though Peter only had 200 chips before the first hour of that tournament, he went on to win first place, which is all the more impressive considering that 460 players had entered with hopes of winning the first-prize of $150,000.

Besides having been nominated for both the 2002 and 2003 European Player of the Year, Peter holds the world record for winning against the biggest ever group of players (1166) in a Limit Hold'em event at the Orleans Casino in July 2003. In the main event of the 2002 Hall of Fame at Binions Las Vegas he finished in first place, winning over $100,000. Also in 2003, he won more than $115,000 in a $300 Limit Hold'em event in L.A. and $112,000 for a Limit Hold'em tournament in Las Vegas. In total, he has won in over 230 tournaments.

His poker nickname, 'The Poet,' was given to him because of his love for reading and writing poetry. Who can doubt that the muse coughs up after the object of her affections wins a big pot?

Trivia

• Loves to read and write poetry
• Finished first in history's biggest ever Limit Hold'em event
• Former fish and chips shop owner