A scaffolding firm manager tested his nerve and skill against 99 of the best amateur poker players in the country during a tournament in Las Vegas.
John Godwin, from Bargoed, was competing in the week-long VEGAS100 tournament at the home of gambling from Friday May 26.
The competition was run by Redtooth Poker, who hold local leagues across the UK – including six in Caerphilly County Borough.
John won a regional event in Cardiff, one of many similar events taking place nationwide to find the top 100 competitors from an initial 200,000 players, and finished 60th overall in the main tournament.
The 47-year-old said: “With the cards I had, I don’t think it could have gone any better. It was a great experience.
“There were over 200 people there with families included and everyone got on really well.
“There was a welcome tournament on the Friday evening with around 215 people taking part, and I came 70th in that, and then 60th in the main VEGAS100 one.
“While I went out there to win, a free trip to Las Vegas is a prize in its own right, and 60th out of 200,000 people is pretty good.”
With an enticing series of prizes on offer, the stakes were high as players were split across ten tables in a series of continuous knockout bouts.
As players were beaten, the numbers decreased until just one table remained, with the defeated competitors watching on eagerly.
The winner received £5,000 in cash, £5,000 sponsorship, another return trip to Las Vegas paid for, and the rest of this year’s trip spent in a penthouse suite.