The hand that defined the 2016 WSOP Main Event between William Kassouf and Griffin Benger. Seven days of tension boil over and a heated confrontation leads t. The hand that defined the 2016 WSOP Main Event between William Kassouf and Griffin Benger. Seven days of tension boil over and a heated confrontation leads t.

Griffin Benger, know as “Flush_Entity” online, used to be a professional video gamer (he was once the best player in the world at Counter-Strike), but then he discovered how much money could be made playing online poker. Since then he has amassed more than $5 million playing online, and between October 2011 and July 2012, Benger was ranked the No. 1 player in the world eight different times.

Nearly one year ago (in five days it will be exactly a year), Benger notched his largest-ever live score when he won the EPT9 Berlin €10,000 High Roller for €429,000. Benger credits part of that win to the support provided by his then new girlfriend, PokerNews presenter Jennifer Robles. The couple are now celebrating one year together, and fittingly Benger is back at a high roller final table.

Will he be able to claim his second EPT High Roller title? He has a good chance as he starts the day second in chips, but only time will tell if history repeats itself.

Canadian Griffin Benger couldn't make it past the first of three nights in the World Series of Poker final, but will still earn a hefty payday for his efforts.

The Toronto native will go down in the books as a seventh-place finisher at the 47th annual edition of WSOP at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Benger's purse for that finish is $1.25 million US, as all nine finalists were guaranteed a payday in seven figures. The elite group of nine competitors outlasted a field of 6,737 players who all began competing in May.

Benger, 31, made a name for himself as a competitive Counter-Strike player but then transitioned from competitive gaming to online poker.

He began racking up wins in person, highlighted by earning over $560,000 at a European Poker Tour in Berlin in 2013, and a $1 million victory in London late in 2014.

The three remaining players at the table who advanced from a group of five that started Monday are Americans: Las Vegas resident and current chip leader Qui Nguyen, Cliff Josephy of Muttontown, N.Y., and Gordon Vayo of San Francisco.

The trio will return to the table Tuesday to determine the winner.

ATI NIT EverLAN Winter 2006

The tournament is a 45-year tradition that got its start with casino owner Benny Binion as an invitation-only event.