Bodog Beat

Poker pro Erick Lindgren is the chip leader heading into the final table of the WSOP HORSE championship event. (Bodog Beat Image)

After four brutal days of mixed poker that have spit up and chewed out some of the best poker players in the world, we finally have the nine players who will make up the final table of the $50,000 HORSE event here at the 2008 WSOP. And, as every one knew there would be, several of the names among those nine are synonymous with poker talent and success.

Starting at the top, the current chip leader is poker pro Erick Lindgren (3.68 million in chips), who already shook the moniker this year of "Best Player to Never Win a Bracelet" and a win in an event of this stature would not only lock up Player of the Year honors but also put him among the WSOP elite. Just behind him is another hugely recognizable player, Scotty Nguyen (3.53 million) who will be looking for WSOP bracelet number five and a little revenge for just barely missing the final table in last year's Main Event.

Sitting a good chunk back from the top two is yet another feared tournament pro, Barry Greenstein with 1.95 million in chips. "The Bear" is hunting his fourth bracelet and looking to hold onto his book "Ace on the River," which he signs for every player that busts him out of a tournament. Next in line is Matt Glantz (1.44 million), a newcomer to this kind of spotlight and then Lyle Berman (1.43 million), who co-founded the WPT and created this kind of spotlight.

Up next we have Huck Seed (1.2 million), the perennial underachiever who would definitely shake that image with a come from behind win here with this caliber of competition. Following him are another couple of guys who have had limited success in the poker arena, Michael DeMichele (905k) and Patrick Bueno (695k), but would be thrust into the collective poker memory if they can overcome their short stacks to make a run at the title.

We'll be sure to bring you all of the live updates from this exciting 2008 WSOP final table, so make sure to stay tuned later on today. Play gets underway at 3pm local time.