Bodog Beat

Chad "lilholdem954″ Batista is currently the chip leader part way through Day 1 of the WSOP Circuit event at Caesars Palace. (Bodog Beat Image)

It's all Caesars, all the time here at the Beat today.

The penultimate WSOP Circuit event before the 2008 WSOP got underway today at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The event has drawn pretty much the same number of players as it did last year, falling just two lonesome entrants short.

Day 1 of competition is already underway and there are a lot of big names from the live and online poker worlds out in the field as everyone gears up and starts logging more hours at the poker table in preparation for the marathon long World Series of Poker schedule.

At the top of the leaderboard at time of print is Chad "lilholdem954″ Batista followed by Alex Kravchenko, David Singer, Allen Cunningham, Team Bodog poker player Ari "BodogAri" Engel, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Erica Schoenberg, Justin Bonomo, Lee Watkinson and a whole host of others. Already in trouble are Anna Wroblewski, Men "The Master" Nguyen, Gavin Smith and Shannon Shorr, who will be lucky (or possibly just really talented) to make it out of today.

Players have six more levels to play today and will all be after a piece of the $1,670,000 prizepool. Stay tuned to the Beat for more updates from Caesars Palace and the WSOP Circuit event championship event.

Charles Simmons regularly contributes poker news to the Bodog Beat.