It might have its detractors and some big-name pros might say the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. is the true test of an all-round poker player, but we say there’s still nothing else on the planet like the Main Event. It’s the bracelet everyone wants to win and the only way you can gain entry into the most exclusive club in the poker world – the world champions’ roster.

It’s also the biggest live poker tournament of the year and this time 6,358 players have paid to do battle for the biggest prize of the year. With the prize structure being flattened to give more at the bottom, and a drop in numbers from 8,773 in 2006, the first prize purse was set at $8.25m.