Ben M. wins, Jeff H. remains on top

Ben M. eliminated eight opponents to take victory in Friday's tournament, while Jeff H.'s second place finish kept him on top of the leaderboard. Brent C. rounded out the money winners in third.

Ben played a superb end game, keeping a low profile and striking hard when he had the opportunity. When it finally got down to heads up action, Ben M. had a slight lead over Jeff H., who was fresh off a big win in Las Vegas the weekend before.

A few rounds of back and forth and it came down to this flop:

Jeff checks with As7h so Ben hides in the weeds with KhQc. Fourth street hits 6s and Jeff thinks his ace will take it. He goes all; Ben calls immediately. The river brings junk and Ben brings it on home with two pair.

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While Jeff H. continues to dominate the league with 25 percent of gross earnings, a look at the numbers shows that the league has become increasingly more competitive since last year.

There have been six different winners in the first six games of the season. Nine out of sixteen players have finished in the money. Both Brent C. (#2) and Josh A. (#3) are a win away from overtaking Jeff H., and seven players are less than $300 behind the leader.

Ben won without a re-buy to take home $180, the second largest payout this year. The league's record payout of $192 was won by Brent C. in October. To date, pots have averaged slightly more than $250 per game.