Poker fans everywhere are currently relishing in the event that overshadows everything else in the poker world once every year – the World Series of Poker! And the 2008 version of the WSOP has already gotten off to a great start with record numbers of players participating in some events.

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Many of the people who are taking part in these events have flown in from all over the world too proving that poker truly is a global game. Some of them are among the best in the world so competition for each and every gold bracelet has been fierce. Let’s take a look at what has transpired already.

Event #1: The WSOP kicked off to a decent start with the World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em. 352 people paid the hefty $10,000 buy-in to create a prize pool of $3,308,000. Poker icon Mike Sexton made a run at the top prize but busted out close to heads-up play in fourth. Kathy Liebert also made a good showing in third but it was Nenad Medic and Andy Bloch playing for it all. In the end, Medic came out on top and almost $800K richer in the process.

Event #2: People knew the 2008 WSOP was going to be huge after this year’s second event smashed the participant record at 3,929 people. The large number pushed the prize pool to over $5 million but most of the nearly 4,000 people wouldn’t see a dime of it. Pros Theo Tran and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson definitely saw some of it en route to making the final table. But not as much as they’d like to have since they finished in third and fourth. Kansas man Grant Hinkle won the gold bracelet here and $831,462 to go with it.

Event #3: With the Pot Limit Hold’em Championship already out of the way, this Pot Limit game wasn’t at big but was still important nonetheless for the 713 involved. David Singer topped a final table full of unknowns and captured $214,122 for the win.

Event #4: The Mixed Hold’em (Limit/No Limit) saw a lot of stars come out to play and the final table showed it. David Williams, Howard Lederer, Roland De Wolfe, and Justin Bonomo all made it to the last table but it was Erick Lindgren who shined the most in grabbing his first ever WSOP bracelet and $374,505 as well.

Event #5: Re-buys were the name of this No-Limit Hold’em game as those who busted out could jump back in for the price of an extra grand. And Michael Banducci used this to his advantage as he won Event #5 and $636,736 too.

Event #6: Games like Omaha Hi-Low Split 8 or Better don’t normally attract the big name players. This didn’t bother Thang Luu too much though as he took this oddball game for all it was worth in winning the gold bracelet and $243,342.

Event #7: It was all Tran’s in the early going as Theo Tran and J.C. Tran were right at the top of the leaderboard for most of this No Limit Hold’em event. And this momentum would carry both of them to the final table. However, J.C. was eliminated in seventh and Theo found himself in fourth again, just like Event #2. It was Shannon Shorr battling little known Matt Keikoan for the title and Keikoan was able to hold onto his lead and win. Keikoan has been a feel-good story of this year’s WSOP as the small-time pro finally came though with the big victory that had eluded him all these years.

Event #8: The stars of poker were back out again in the World Championship Mixed event. Legends like Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Gus Hansen were all on hand for this $10,000 buy-in affair. And, although they all cashed, none of them made it to the final table with the likes of Tom Dwan, Sammy Farha, and the champ of Event #8 in youngster Anthony Rivera.

Event #9: This No Limit Hold’em contest only featured 6 players at each table which was to the liking of Ralph “Rep” Porter who out-dueled Nathan Templeton for the gold bracelet and $372,843. Templeton earned $231,982 for second.

Event #10: With an Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better game as its draw, Event #10 only brought in $892,400 in total prize money. But Fred Rouhani didn’t seem to mind taking $232,911 of it after he won.

Event #11: Philip Tom outlasted a tough field of competitors in this No Limit Hold’em Shootout event that saw Tony G, John Juanda, Erik Seidel, and Joe Sebok all go deep in this tourney. Tom earned $477,990 for the win.

Event #12: This Limit Hold’em contest saw Zachary Fellows set his eyes on first place and the $250K-plus that came with it. However, his hopes were dashed when Jimmy Shultz swooped in for the gold bracelet. And Jimmy, who was sporting a CFD cap throughout the tournament, announced that he would be donating one fifth of his winnings to the CFD (Charleston Fire Department) who recently lost nine firefighters in a warehouse fire.

Event #13: The prize pool got pretty large in this No Limit Hold’em affair as 1,397 people paid the $2,500 entry fee to make the prize pool $3,213,100. A big Canadian by the name of Duncan “Pumper” Bell took the largest chunk at $666,777 after winning. Theo Tran cashed yet again in 23^rd place making him an early threat to win the 2008 WSOP Player of the Year.

Event #14: Yet another World Championship took place in this Seven Card Stud contest. Both Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu showed their versatility by almost making the final table after placing ninth and 11th. The day belonged to Eric Brooks though as he won the event and cashed for $415,856.

Event #15: The fifteenth event was all about the ladies as the name implied in the Ladies No Limit Hold’em World Championship. Anh Lee had a good showing during this tourney but couldn’t topple Svetlana Gromenkova as the Russian beat her in heads-up and won the ladies gold bracelet. She also received $224,702 for the win.