LAS VEGAS–They’re down to four players … and Tom Schneider is the short stack with 320k. (But he’s hardly in desperate straits.) Interestingly enough, we are thinking this HORSE event might be the oldest final table (on average) of any others at the WSOP. Not an internet whiz-kid in sight.

Remember, if you want to call Tom to leave him a message of encouragement, or ask him to borrow money, the number is 888-820-8091.

And to follow his action semi-live, keep refreshing here. By the way, BJ Nemeth is the correspondent PokerNews has assigned to this event, and he’s one of — if not the very — best. Below is what he can tell you about the quality of Tom’s competition.

UPDATE: Tom is out — 4th place, $54,913. Bummer, but awesome. Nice job, Tommy boy! One of his WSOP goals was to make three final tables. He’s well on his way to succeeding on that one. And with the payout, he’s made up for his new-bracelet losses to Jamie Gold at the Venetian! Wonder if Tom will see this event simply as a satellite the big-big HORSE tourney (event #39).

(NOTE: Ali has since been eliminated.)

Bio Information on the Final Five in Event #16 ($2,500 H.O.R.S.E.)

Seat 1 – Ali Eslami is at his first WSOP final table, and if he finishes fourth or higher, it will be the biggest cash of his career. He finished in the top 50 of the 2004 WSOP Main Event for $45,000.

Seat 5 – James Richburg won a bracelet last year in Razz, and 16 years ago he came in second in $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo. This is his third WSOP final table.

Seat 6 – Tom Schneider won his first WSOP bracelet eight days ago, and he already has his eyes on his second. He’s looking to become the first (only?) multiple bracelet winner of 2007.

Seat 7 – Walter Browne is a grandmaster chess player, who won the U.S. championship six times. (You can look him up on Wikipedia.) This is already his second final table of this year’s WSOP — he finished seventh in Event #10 ($2,000 No-Limit Hold’em). He spent his morning at an exhibition match where he played 22 players simultaneously. He was in a rush to get back to this tournament, and finished 15-1, with six draws. (He claims he normally has a 90% win percentage under those circumstances.) He left the match at 1:42 pm, and barely made it to the Rio in time for today’s 2:00 pm start.

Seat 8 – Chris Bjorin is a top European pro, and easily the most experienced player at the table — this is his 15th WSOP final table. He has two bracelets (from 1997 and 2000), and he made the final table of the 1997 WSOP Main Event (when Stu Ungar won his third championship). Bjorin has over $3 million in lifetime tournament winnings.