Michael Binger continued to push Ty Stewart around until he got him right where he wanted and the title was his.

Ty raised it $40k pre-flop and Binger called. The flop came 9 8 4 and Stewart bet right out, making it $60k. 

Binger raised it up to $180k and Stewart pushed. The call from Binger came in just seconds and he slammed Q 9 on the felt. It was ahead of Stewart's A 8.

Needing to dodge an ace and an eight for the win, Binger did just that when the T turn and Q river fell.

The crowd went bananas as Binger secured his first major tournament win, the $181,379 first-place prize, a free pass to the 2009 WSOP and the glory of a PL.com winner interview.

Ty Stewart grabs $112,685 for second, and WSOPC Tahoe is over.

Stay tuned for a recap of the entire final table, and make sure to check back with PL.com in a few days to see what 2008 WSOPC Tahoe champ Michael Binger had to say about the big win. 

 

Having fought back to where the match started, Michael Binger has now taken the lead from Ty Stewart.

Binger limped the button and Ty made a standard raise. Binger reraised it up $100k more and after Stewart called, the 7 5 3 flop came down. Both players checked.

The turn was the J and Stewart bet a whopping $250k. Binger made the big call and the K river was revealed.

They checked it down and Ty's ace-high couldn't beat Binger's Q7 pair of sevens. With that, Binger takes the lead, on $1.25 million to Stewart's $680k.

After calling a $48k button raise from Ty Stewart, Michael Binger checked the 5 4 3 flop.

But when Ty bet another $50k, Binger pulled out the big guns, raising all-in for $446k more.

Stewart paused for thought, mucked and now Binger is up close to $700 and back in it.

Stewart has $1.2 million.

In lieu of a break the players have run off to go to the bathroom real quick with 3 minutes left in Level 21.

Michael Binger has chipped his way back into this thing on $450k now, leaving Ty Stewart with about $1.5 million and some tougher decisions to make as we move forward into Level 22!

Ty Stewart is steamrolling Michael Binger, pushing him off pots, catching cards and taking a stranglehold on this match.

In one pot with four clubs on the board Stewart managed to push Binger off with 2-8o and no clubs.

Then he got paid off with top two pair holding A-Q a moment ago.

At this point Stewart has about $1.7 million to Michael Binger's$200k and is practically being fitted for the Tahoe crown as we speak.

In the first big hand of heads-up Michael Binger picked off a Ty Stewart bluff to pull back to even in chips.

Binger turned a set, and flat-called turn and river bets from Stewart holding air.

But then the biggest pot of heads-up so far played out on the felt. It started with a Stewart raise to $26k from the button. Binger reraised to $86,000 and Stewart called.

The flop came Q J T and Binger check-called a $90k Stewart bet. Then he check-called a $200k bet on the 3 turn before the 7 river came down.

Once again, Binger checked, but when Ty Stewart shoved all-in, he went deep into the tank.

With his tournament life on the line, Binger laid it down and Stewart took control again, on $1.5 million to Binger's $500k.

The first dozen or so hands of heads-up have been devoid of major confrontations.

As a result, things remain just about where they were when they got rolling, although a quick calculation shows Ty Stewart has increased his edge over Michael Binger ever so slightly.

Now the blinds are up and into Level 21, the pressure is beginning to mount.

Facing a $30k raise from Michael Binger, a suddenly short-stacked Jake Solis shoved in for his last $95k.

Ty Stewart made the call and Binger came along for the ride.

Binger and Stewart checked down the A Q 9 T 5 board the whole way and in the end, Binger's K Q beat Stewart's 7 7 and Solis' 8 8.

Binger collects the pot while Jake collects $77,464 for third and we head into the mano-a-mano portion of the tournament.

Going into heads-up following a planned money presentation here in Tahoe, Ty Stewart will have $1.1 million to Michael Binger's $825,000.

Ty Stewart is back over the $1.1 million mark again after getting paid off by Michael Binger in a decent-sized pot where he made two pair.

Other than that, things have tightened up considerably three-handed, as neither Binger nor Jake Solis wants to exit third.

Michael Binger just inched a little closer to Ty Stewart, pushing him off a big pot with a $150k river bet on a J J 9 6 K board.

Binger showed nothing but pocket fives after a Stewart fold and he's on $670k now. Jake Solis is on around $310k and Stewart remains in the lead on $970,000.

In the meantime, the blinds are up and we're into Level 20.