2008 WSOP Event #51, the $1,500 buy in H.O.R.S.E. will be remembered more for Phil Hellmuth not getting a 12th bracelet than for James Schaaf getting his 1st one. 

The $50,000 buy in H.O.R.S.E. Event is the second most important event of WSOP, the World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold’em being the most important one. After a grueling 5 days Scotty Nguyen beat the other 147 contestants to win the bracelet, the $1,989,120 first prize and the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy. The total prize pool for the event was $7,104,000. 

Ryan Hughes became the first player in the history of WSOP to win two golden bracelets in Seven Card Stud Hi-low-8 or Better Events. The first of these was won in WSOP 2007 and the second was won this year. This comes as a surprise because Hughes has stated that his favorite game is not Seven Card Stud but Omaha High-Low Split. With this second bracelet he may well change his mind. 

John “Razor” Phan became the first player to win two bracelets at WSOP 2008. His second bracelet came in Event #40, the $2,500 buy in 2-7 Triple Draw. Phan was in the lead in the strong final table of six. 

Harrah’s, the organizers of World Series of Poker, have announced some important changes for WSOP 2008 even as the tournament has progressed beyond the half way stage. Earlier there were to be three main prizes at WSOP 2008 constituting a sort of Triple Crown.