Scotty “The Prince” Nguyen doesn’t horse around.

The Vietnamese immigrant-turned-Las Vegas resident, who had won four World Series of Poker (WSOP) championship gold bracelets in his career but none since 2001, is golden once again.

He has won Event #45 at the 2008 WSOP in Las Vegas, a H.O.R.S.E. tournament many consider the WSOP’s toughest event.

Because of its huge entry fee–the “buy-in” in poker parlance–which is $50,000, the event draws professional poker players only. Amateurs won’t shell out 50 large for a poker tournament.

The H.O.R.S.E. tourney rotates among five kinds of poker–hold ‘em (the H), Omaha (the O), razz (the R), stud (the S) and eight-or-better stud (the E)–and participants have to be good at all five to even dream of winning the event.

A total of 148 entrants ponied up the 50K to play H.O.R.S.E. with the world’s best poker players, and the event’s money list is a veritable Who’s Who of poker greatness.

The top 16 finishers in the event shared the total prize pool of about $7.1 million.

For Nguyen, who won his first WSOP gold bracelet in 1997 and his fourth four years later (he won the WSOP Main Event in 1998), he collects $1,989,120 for winning the big H.O.R.S.E. show.

Runnerup was Michael DeMichele of Poughkeepsie, New York, USA, earning $1,243,200.

Third was Erick “E-Dog” Lindgren of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, earning $781,440.

Fourth was Matthew Glantz of Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, earning $568,320.

Fifth was Lyle Berman of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, earning $444,000.

Sixth was Barry Greenstein of Rancho Palo Verde, California, USA, earning $355,200.

Seventh was Huck Seed of Las Vegas, earning $284,160.

Eighth was Patrick Bueno of Paris, France, earning $230,880.

Ninth was Ralph Perry of Las Vegas, earning $177,600.

Tenth was Raymond Davis of Commerce, California, USA, earning $177,600.

Eleventh was David “Gunslinger” Bach of Athens, Georgia, USA, earning $159,840.

Twelfth was Phil “Poison” Ivey of Las Vegas, earning $159,840.

Thirteenth was Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu of Las Vegas, earning $142,080.

Fourteenth was Joseph Michael of Austin, Texas, USA, earning $142,080.

Fifteenth was Andy Bloch of Las Vegas, earning $124,320.

Sixteenth was Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson of Las Vegas, earning $124,320.

Other poker pros who have won exactly five career WSOP bracelets are Ivey, Bones Berland, Allen Cunningham, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Stu Ungar and Berry Johnston.

Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr. has the most career WSOP gold–a whopping 11 bracelets.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)