BOWIE, Texas - At the Last Cowboy Standing this weekend, every rider who makes the whistle in each round advances to the next.

In their weekly podcast, PBR Livestock Director Cody Lambert and statistician Slade Long indicated the toughest round will be Round 2.

"The second round is that championship-round caliber of bulls that will separate them and really thin them out," Lambert explained.

'The second round is that championship-round caliber of bulls that will separate them and really thin them out.'

He predicted 15 to 18 riders will advance to Round 2, a round that will be headlined by the likes of Smackdown, King Lopez and Buck Wild. Lambert doesn't think more than five riders will advance to the third round or beyond.

Listen to "In the Bull Pen" with Cody Lambert and Slade Long.

The third round "doesn't get a whole lot easier," in terms of bull power, but is a thought to be "a little nicer."

Lambert is anticipating this year's LCS event will play out much like last year's, when Luke Snyder beat out Sean Willingham in the fourth round.

Lambert said he expects a couple of riders to get to Round 4, but that's "probably as far as it'll go."

Luke Snyder covers Cooper Tires Wild N Out to claim the 2011 Last Cowboy Standing title in Las Vegas.

There will be a maximum of five rounds.

If more than one rider covers all five bulls, the winner will be determined by the highest scores. The event pays go-round money, with the winner taking home $150,000, including the $50,000 carried over from a week ago when J.B. Mauney failed to make the whistle on Buckey at the Dickies® Iron Cowboy III.

'[Buck Wild] is spectacular. He gets way up in the air and spins to the right. He looks like he's got pretty good timing.'

The opening round pen in Detroit is comparable to most other BFTS events.

Long said Buck Wild in Round 2 caught his eye, and Lambert agreed. He added, "(Buck Wild) is spectacular. He gets way up in the air and spins to the right. He looks like he's got pretty good timing."

Buck Wild spends much of his arena time in the lower atmosphere.

One problem: He's bad in chute.

For riders who make it past Round 2, Lambert said "it may get a little bit easier, but they don't ride them a lot." In Round 3, they'll face Grey Squirrel and Yellow Jacket Jr., among others.

WATCH LAST COWBOY STANDING next Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. The event, including the opening Big & Rich concert, will be live streamed at PBR.com/live beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. Tickets are available at www.TicketMaster.com and start at just $10.