It took five months to finish, but the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event is finally in the books.

Here are some facts and figures about the ‘08 WSOP Main Event, courtesy of the WSOP:

–The winner, Peter Eastgate, is from Denmark. The last time a non-American won a WSOP Main Event was in 2005, when Joe Hachem, who was born in Lebanon and lives in Australia, won it. In the history of the WSOP, Main Event champions have been born in following nations: the USA 31 times, Iran twice and Ireland, Lebanon, Ecuador, Laos, Vietnam, China and Denmark each once.

–This was the first time there was a break in the middle of the WSOP Main Event. After the final table was set in July, players took 117 days off to promote themselves and the tournament. No word yet on whether it will be done again this way in 2009. =A0=A0 –It took 15 hours and 39 minutes to play off the final table from nine players to one winner, the longest amount of time ever for a WSOP Main Event. The previous record for longest time to play off a WSOP Main Event final table was in 2005, when it took Hachem about 14 hours until he was the last man standing (or sitting as the case may be).

–Cardwise, the final table lasted for 278 hands of play. =A0 –The final table was played onstage at the Penn and Teller Theatre inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. It was the first time the venue had been used for the WSOP Main Event final table, and was the seventh different locale for the Main Event final table in the 39-year history of the WSOP. On most nights, the theatre is used for performances by comedy magicians Penn and Teller.

–About 3,000 spectators were on hand in the theatre to watch the final table play out live, over two days. That’s the most people in history ever to watch a poker game of any kind. Among those who showed up to watch the action were previous Main Event winners Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr., Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Johnny “The Orient Express” Chan, Jerry Yang, Jamie Gold and Chris Moneymaker. =A0 –Only winner Eastgate received a WSOP championship gold bracelet. But all nine members of the final table were gifted with limited-edition WSOP watches, made by Swiss manufacturer Corum. The watches were engraved with the players’ names, favorite card suits and final table starting chip counts. Corum president Michael Wunderman presented the gratis timepieces to the final tablers. No word on whether they’ll have to pay income taxes on the watches.

–Final table play kicked off after Yang, winner of the 2007 WSOP Main Event, took the public address microphone and announced, “Shuffle up and deal!” Previously, Las Vegas icons such as Brunson and Wayne Newton have been accorded the honor of publicly announcing poker’s version of “Gentlemen, start your engines!”

–Dennis “Fordman” Phillips, the oldest member of the final table at 53 and the chip leader when final table play began, had the largest entourage. About 300 friends and fellow employees of the St. Louis trucking firm where he works were on hand at the Rio to cheer him on. It didn’t do him much good as he ended up in third place.

–Ylon Schwartz of Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, New York, USA, was the only final table member to stiff the media and not talk to reporters right after being eliminated, despite WSOP rules requiring he do so. The arrogant and hotheaded Schwartz finished in fourth place.

–The final hand saw Eastgate dealt an ace and a 5 and eventual runnerup Ivan Demidov dealt a 2 and a 4. The flop was a king, a 3 and a 2. The turn was a 4 and the river was a 7. Eastgate, with a straight, went all-in. Demidov, with two pair, called. Eastgate won the hand and tourney. And more than nine million bucks.

–About 15 hours after play ended and a winner was crowned (or braceleted, as the case may be), cable TV sports network ESPN was on the air with a two-hour highlights special of final table play. ESPN producers and video editors had to quckly go through all 278 final table hands and pick the two dozen or so most interesting and exciting hands for broadcast.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.) =A0