Binger graduated from North Carolina State University before receiving a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Stanford University in 2006. Just two months after receiving his PhD, he outlasted 8,770 players in the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10,000 No limit Texas Hold'em Main Event, finishing third and earning $4,123,310. Binger had reached a final table earlier in that year's WSOP, finishing sixth.