It's been a pretty good eight months for Sean Getzwiller.

The former Tucson-area resident, who learned to play poker at the local casinos (as well as the underground games) while also riding the wave of the region's rising and falling real estate market, made his fourth deep run in a major tournament since June by finishing third late Monday in the World Series of Poker Circuit championship event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The $1,600 event, which began on Friday with more than 600 players, paid Getzwiller a little more than $89,000.

Though that money pales compared to the $611,000 Getzwiller earned for winning at World Series of Poker bracelet last June, yet another strong finish in a high-profile event helps solidify him as one of the top up-and-coming players in the game.

I'd like to say my limited interactions with Getzwiller taught me how to play as well as he does. Unfortunately, all I learned was how to throw a $1 chip from one table onto the other.