Congratulations to Michael Binger, Your 2008 Harveys Lake Tahoe WSOP Circuit Champion!
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Most people know Binger for his third-place finish in the 2006 WSOP Main Event (the Jamie Gold year), but after posting a win here today, we think it's pretty safe to say that Binger has made a name for himself outside of the shadow of that 2006 WSOP and has become a force to be reckoned with on the tournament circuit.
Binger's journey to chip leader on Day 2 was not an easy one. He began the day with 59,800 in chips and quickly built his stack up to 103,000. Not long after, he fell all the way down to 24,500 before climbing back up over 100,000 and the rest was gravy. Binger finished Day 2 as the overnight chip leader and held the lead for much of the final table. He lost the lead when Ty Stewart eliminated Allen Kessler, but never fell out of contention.
The heads-up battle was intense, as Stewart pulled out ahead quite fast -- at one point owning a 9-to-1 chip lead over Binger. Down 200,000 in chips to Stewart's 1,780,000, Binger remained resilient, never losing focus while constantly gaining momentum. Binger eventually re-assumed the chip lead and would never look back.
Congratulations are also in order for runner-up Ty Stewart. Primarily a mid-stakes cash game player, Stewart played tough throughout the tournament, running a clinic on how to play hyper-aggressive poker. Stewart will take home over $100,000 in prize money for his second-place finish -- his biggest tournament cash to date.
Kudos to Harveys staff and the WSOP crew for another successful tournament in South Lake Tahoe. Here are your final standings:
1st: Michael Binger - $181,379
2nd: Ty Stewart - $112,675
3rd: Jake Solis - $77,464
4th: Mike McClain - $53,777
5th: Tay Nguyen - $40,653
6th: Allen Kessler - $31,370
7th: Travis Erdman - $24,968
8th: Bill Bostick - $18,566
9th: Scott Clements - $13,444
That concludes our coverage of the 2008 Harveys Lake Tahoe World Series of Poker Circuit Championship Main Event. Until next time, from South Lake Tahoe, good night and good luck!