THE secret to winning a week in Las Vegas with a chance of bagging £25,000? A strong poker face and a little bit of luck.

An amateur poker player who faced off against the south west's best card sharks will be jetting off to the States with his wife next year after beating106 competitors.

Greg Winters has been playing the game at the village sports and social club with friends for just over a year - then he and three others made it into a regional tournament.

The top four from each area's Redtooth Poker league gathered in a Bristol casino earlier this month - Greg technically came fifth but qualified after the fourth-place player could not go. Slowly but surely, the tables thinned out as top players folded but the 71-year-old managed to get the winning hand.

He added: "I thought I had no chance, it was my first time in a casino and I never dreamt of making it so far, let alone winning. My friends got knocked out at 2.30pm and I said 'I'll be joining you any time now' but I stayed in for six more hours.

"I surprised myself - I didn't sweat or worry, I kept a straight face, and I didn't even look at my opponent on the last table. He went all-in on his last hand and I had two Aces.

"I punched the air, everyone clapped, I couldn't believe it. I didn't sleep that night, I was buzzing, it does not feel real. At my age, I thought I would never get to go anywhere like Vegas, though I'd always wanted to.

"I don't know what I'm doing half the time but everything worked out, so lady luck was definitely on my side."

The championship was streamed live on the internet so thousands of people watched Greg triumph - including his friends and family. His phone filled with hundreds of messages cheering him on and excited congratulations when he won.

Greg and Lynn will be flying to the Sunset Strip in May after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in March and Lynn's 70th birthday in April. One day of their trip will be spent in a casino while Greg plays against other regional champions for a chance to win £25,000.

Lynn added: "He said he'd try to blag his way through it. I had butterflies in my stomach and turned away when he got to the last table. My daughter texted me when he won, I said 'Wow!', it was incredible."

Greg made it to the top four during a previous three-month league but could not get into the London venue as he had forgotten to bring ID. Luckily, he didn't make the same mistake next time. A new league has started and new players are welcome to join the club.