CASINO CHAMPION PROFILE: MICHEAL OSHANA
Hammond, IN (October 30,2013) — It's a shame somebody had to lose.

Micheal Oshana and Benjamin Keeline player their hearts out during the 12-day series at Horseshoe Hammond -- the Circuit's most highly-attended stop year in and year out.

Oshana kicked things off with an Event 3 victory while Keeline earned his first ring in Event 6. The pair was a part of the eight-way tie atop the Casino Championship leaderboard heading to the Main Event.

Keeline busted the record-breaking finale short of Day 2, but Oshana ran the 20,000-chip starting stack all the way to a ninth-place finish and a 25 point score, bringing his total to 75.

Keeline wasn't done, though.

The 12th and final ring event played out in the Main Event's shadow and Keeline had a stack with 15 players left. He ran to the media desk to confirm where he needed to finish. While a fifth-place finish would match the 75 points of Oshana, it was fourth place or bust for Keeline who needed to take the lead outright to avoid losing the money-earned tie breaker.

Keeline made his way through the 264-player starting field all the way to the final table, but it wasn't in the cards. He finished one spot shy in fourth. The run earned him the 25 points necessary to match Oshana's first-place pace, but his total earnings came up almost $15,000 shy of Oshana's $73,071.

The Hammond series was a breakthrough one for Oshana, who resides in Hanover Park, IL. His Event 3 win and Main Event final table appearance marked the first two WSOP-related cashes for the 25-year-old pro.

In addition to the prestige of donning Casino Champion honors at the year's largest series, Oshana earns a spot in the WSOP National Championship set to take place at Caesars Atlantic City this spring. There, he joins the Hammond Main Event winner, James Dorrance, where they'll compete for their share of an up-to $2 million prize pool and a WSOP gold bracelet while all the action develops in front of ESPN's cameras.

With two cashes including a gold ring and a Circuit Main Event final table, Oshana's breakthrough performance at Horseshoe Hammond is looking like it might be the first in a string of successes for the young pro.

Top 10 Hammond Casino Championship point earners:

1. Micheal Oshana - 50 points ($73,071)
2. Benjamin Keeline - 50 points ($46,022)
3. Kenny Nguyen - 70 points
4. Mark Morris - 70 points
5. Kevin Meeusen - 70 points
6. David Cossio - 60 points
7. Ronald Kruk - 60 points
8. Robert Georato - 55 points
9. Stanislav Barshak - 50 points
10. Four others tied at 50 points

Full standings available on WSOP.com.