Can busting out of a poker tournament ever be a blessing in disguise?
For Nick Binger it sure was.
Moments after being eliminated from the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #56) Binger had a decision to make. He could drive back to his Las Vegas home and wallow in the sorrows of what had been a disappointing series of finishes, so far. Binger had entered dozens of tournaments at this year’s World Series of Poker, with just two mini-cashes to show for a whopping six-figure investment.
The other alternative was to take one more shot in the very last tournament on this year’s schedule prior to the start of the WSOP Main Event Championship. Trouble was, there were only seconds remaining before player registration would close. Nick Binger the poker player became Nick Binger the sprinter.
“It was a bad summer going into the end here,” Binger said just moments after his first gold bracelet victory. “I had just busted out of the other tournament. I ran down the hall to register for this tournament and got in with just seconds to spare.“
In an astonishing twist of fate, Binger’s earlier elimination turned out to be a unforeseen stroke of remarkably good fortune. While poker players do not like to acknowledge the luck component to the game, the fact was – Binger caught the ultimate river card before the next tournament even began.
Four days later, Binger would end up as the last player sitting from an initial field of 352 entries in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low Split tournament. He ended up winning $397,073 in prize money. Certainly just as meaningful to the veteran Las Vegas poker pro was the ultimate symbol of achievement attached to his victory -- the WSOP gold bracelet.
Binger comes from an accomplished poker family. His brother Michael Binger has won more than $5 million at the WSOP during his career. However, brother Michael still lacks the one glittery object that now circles Nick's wrist -- the gold bracelet.
When asked who is the better poker player in the Binger family, Nick immediately snapped, "me!" The bold merriment was followed by laughter, revealing the jovial relationship between the two outstanding poker pros.
The runner up was Georgia poker pro David Bach, who is best known for winning the $50,000 Buy-In Poker Players Championship in 2009. Binger overcame a 3 to 1 chip disadvantage versus Bach late during heads-up play and complimented his opponent on his outstanding play. This was Bach's seventh final table appearance in the last five years -- quite a record.
Is there a lesson to be learned from Binger’s unusual experience? Perhaps so.
Consider this. Next time the cards go wrongly it may be wise to remember that sometimes things happen for a reason. Maybe the busted player will make the most of a bad situation. He or she might even rebound and win a WSOP gold bracelet.
In poker as in life, it’s not how many bad beats you take that really matters. They will inevitably come. What really does matter is what you do next.
Nick Binger made the right decision.
For a comprehensive recap of Event #57 including the official report, please visit WSOP.COM again soon.