More than 150 players packed the Taieri Bowling Club to try their luck and skill during the Texas Hold 'Em Poker tournament.
Although entry was free and competitors did not play for money during the main competition, the winner received free entry to the New Zealand Poker Championships, to be held in Christchurch in May.
Senior host Nathan Rose, of Dunedin, said weekly tournaments were held at five venues in Dunedin, and a larger tournament was held every three months.
Tournament-style play had grown in popularity since the Pub Poker League started in 2006, he said.
Players eliminated from tournament play could continue to play on cash tables, he said.
Dunedin man Justin Dykhoff said he enjoyed the game, and occasionally practised online- but the main motivation for playing was"definitely the money''.
Greg Clode, of Alexandra, thought he "had got the hang'' of Hold 'Em Poker after about six attempts, while Santana Kawe, of Invercargill, said he improved "after about 1500 games'', because success in the game relied on chance, skill, and reading the opposition's "poker face.''
