Card players from all over the world have travelled to Dublin to try their hand at the World Poker Championship.

The cream of professional poker players are involved in the competition, which runs until its grand final on Sunday.

The competition was open to anyone who paid a stake of nearly £4,000, and now 128 players are vying for a top prize of about £170,000.

advertisement
Party Poker
The biggest online poker room with thousands of players.
Choose one of the following games:
Texas Holdem Poker, Omaha Poker, Omaha Hi,
Seven Card Stud, Stud 8 or Better.
Receive a 20% bonus of your first deposit up to a $100!!!
Party Poker

Bluffers beware - only one in eight competitors will win prize money, and there are some wily old hands taking part.

As the old country song suggests, you've got to know when to hold them and when to fold them.

But is psychic ability required, or is it just the ability to keep your cool under pressure?

One man who might have a better idea than most is a nine-times World Series champion from the United States, who has taken about $6m at the table.

Phil Hellmuth says some theory is involved, and a good basic mathematical strategy was definitely helpful.

"The thing that takes people way over the top, that makes the greatest of the great cook, is the ability to look someone in the eye and know whether they have a hand or whether they're bluffing," he says.

He insists it's not all down to luck, but someone who may benefit from a bit of good fortune is Northern Ireland man Paul Leckey.

A 70-1 tournament outsider, he admits he still has some things to learn about the game.

"It takes great discipline to throw cards away," he says.

"I think that's where I've had great difficulty, in learning how to throw bad hands away."

Source: BBC News