Bodog Beat

The tables in the Amazon Room have been spaced out to make way for the HORSE event here at the 2008 WSOP. (Bodog Beat Image)

In an area of the Amazon Room at the Rio where poker players are usually practically on top of each other, chairs and tables have been moved out and a huge amount of space created between tables in anticipation of the $50,000 HORSE event, which kicks off in just a couple of hours here at the 2008 WSOP.

Over the last couple of years, the $50k HORSE event (Holdem, Omaha, Razz, Stud, Eights or better) has begun garnering more and more attention from the media as it is being recognized as the true test of a poker players ability. The mix of games requires the ability to switch gears and strategy as each level progresses and only the best of the best poker players have this kind of skill set. So, due to this, the field is likely to be stacked with big-name pros and much smaller than other events thanks to the high buy-in.

Last year's champion, Freddy Deeb, outlasted a field of 147 of the best players in the world and a final table that last until 5am to claim the HORSE bracelet, decorated with 91 black diamonds and arguably the most respected award in poker, and his $2.27 million first-place prize.

The stacks are so deep and the competition so tough that even with so few players the tournament stretches out over a five-day period, at the end of which we're most likely to see a new HORSE champion.

Stay tuned for live updates from the 2008 WSOP and the $50,000 HORSE event from the Bodog Beat.