Michael Binger – Poker Player Profile
Born in Delray Beach, Florida on December 20, 1976, Michael Binger is a part-time poker player who now resides in Atherton, California.
After doing his undergrad at North Carolina State University, Binger received a PhD in theoretical physics from Stanford University in 2006. A mere two months after his graduation, he finished third in the World Series of Poker Main Event for $4.1 million – quite an impressive feat considering it was only the fourth live tournament cash he’d ever recorded at the time. However, one of those other cashes was a WSOP final table, when he finished sixth a week prior to the Main Event in a $1500 No Limit Hold’em for $101K.
Following his initial success, Binger was back at it just a year later in 2007, taking third in the WSOP $5K No Limit Hold’em Shootout for $295K. He finished in the money a staggering eight times that summer, which tied Phil Hellmuth and Humberto Brenes for second most cashes in a single World Series of Poker. IN 2008, he recorded four more WSOP cashes, including a final table in a $1000 No Limit Hold’em event for $101K.
More recently, Binger has actually been pretty quiet on the tournament circuit. He had five cashes at the 2009 WSOP, however the biggest one was only for $24.5K. All told, though, Michael Binger has over $6 million in live tournament earnings, $4.2 million of which has come at the WSOP.
Michael Binger has always said he’d like to continue doing research in physics, but he doesn’t want a typical 9-5 job. To that end, poker is a good way for him to earn some money on the sides while he devotes himself to the work he cares most about. He won’t be at all the live tournament stops, but when the WSOP rolls around every year, he’ll no doubt enter many events in search of that first bracelet.
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Poker lexicon:
- KICKER - In hands containing pairs and trips, the highest card not matched. In draw games, sometimes a card kept for deception purposes.
- BRODERICK CRAWFORD - In Hold'em, hole cards of 10-4. From the 1950s TV series "Highway Patrol", starring Broderick Crawford.
- RUNNER-RUNNER - A hand made using both of the last two cards dealt.
- BUTTON CHARGE - A periodic fee paid by whoever is the button, perhaps every 20 minutes or 30 minutes. Constitutes part or all of the HOUSE CUT.
- FACE CARD - A jack, queen or king (a card with a face on it, not joker).
- SHOWDOWN - The point at the end of the hand where all active players reveal their cards and the pot is awarded to the winner(s).
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