A pub poker player from Wimbledon has secured one of the last places in the country to compete in Las Vegas tournament.

Mike Moore, deputy manager at The Leather Bottle pub on Kingston Road, Merton Park, was among the final top ten players set to join 90 others heading to the casino capital to compete in the VEGAS 100 National Final on May 8.

The 25-year-old won the spot after competing against more than 200 poker players in the second national semi-final of the Redtooth Poker Vegas 100 tournament held in Sheffield in March.

He said: "I'm pretty chuffed.

"I only started playing properly about a year and a half ago."

Mr Moore, originally from Bournemouth, said he first started playing poker with friends while at university.

Martin Green, managing director of Redtooth Poker, said: "This year’s Vegas 100 has seen thousands of players taking part in pub leagues right across the country for the last 12 months.

"It is therefore a fantastic achievement for anyone to reach this stage."

The competition launched in 2007 and is the UK's largest live pub poker league with more than 1,000 venues and 150,000 players registered.


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