A POKER playing pair are feeling rather flush after winning a trip to compete in an exclusive tournament in the US gambling capital of Las Vegas.

Pals Kirsty Lord and Liam Hamilton regularly play poker at The Wheatsheaf pub in Yarm Road, Darlington, and each has secured the trip of a lifetime by winning tournaments organised by Redtooth Poker – the UK’s largest pub poker league.

Miss Lord, of Darlington, played into the early hours to win a tournament in Sheffield while Mr Hamilton, of Middleton St George, won a competition in Coventry to secure his place on the plane.

The pair travel to Las Vegas on May 27 where they will spend a week seeing the sights and playing poker for a share of £5,000 prize money and £5,000 worth of prizes in the Vegas 100 tournament.

Miss Lord said she cannot wait for the trip and admitted that winning her place was all the more surprising because it was the first time she had ever taken part in a large-scale tournament.

“They said that the heads-up (when only two players remain) was the longest heads-up game in Redtooth history, it lasted two hours and 40minutes in the end.

“It was two o clock in the morning, hardly anyone was left and people were tired, but it was worth it.

“I was jumping up and down for joy after I’d won.”

Mr Hamilton, a child care worker for Darlington Borough Council, joked that after he “dragged” Miss Lord to the Sheffield tournament and she went on to win, he became determined to bag himself a ticket to Vegas as well.

“I’ve never been to America or Vegas before and I can’t wait, it’s going to be great,” he said.

“I’ve played poker for about ten years and had always played the same way, but I realised that it wasn’t doing much use.

“Only a few months before I won the tournament I knew I needed to change the way I played; the standard was really high.

“I’m glad it worked!”

Mr Hamilton said the pair have “as good a chance as anybody” to win Vegas 100 tournament but added that the whole trip won’t revolve around poker.

He said: “I know some of the other people going are saying they are going to spend the whole week playing poker.

“We are definitely focused on the games but going to Vegas is going to be amazing and I want to see as much of it as I can while I’m there.”