An Ayrshire poker player could land himself an all-expenses-paid trip to the home of gambling – if he can play his cards right.
Steven Mackie, 26, from Ayr, is one tournament win away from a seat at the high profile World Series of Poker event in Las Vegas.
The 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) will be staged from late May into mid-July at the Horseshoe and Paris Hotel and Casino.
And all Steven needs to do is win the UK final down in Coventry in March to seal his spot.
Student Steven bagged his place in the Coventry event by virtue of a tournament win, held at The Keg, Paisley, before the turn of the year.
Now living in Paisley, the former Belmont Academy pupil, who is studying social sciences at UWS Paisley Campus, said: “It was a last minute thing to enter the event at The Keg because my plan was to write an essay that night that was due to be handed in the following week.
“But the people at The Keg advertised the tournament on Facebook, they are just across the road from me and I thought ‘why not, the essay can wait’ and I managed to win!”
Steven played a blinder of Texas Hold’em on the night, knocking out more than 20 other players to land first place and a qualification place for Coventry.
He said: “I managed to win and I think I played well on the night. That win gets me the World Series of Poker Coventry ticket. If you win that one you get a WSOP 10,000 Dollar ticket and get all your expenses, flights and hotel all paid for. It would definitely be the trip of a lifetime if I managed to get through.”
Steven, who used to own the Ayr We Go gift shop in Ayr’s Carrick Street, played in local leagues and regional ones, registering a fair amount of success throughout.
But there is no doubt that if he lands a Vegas spot, it would top every other previous tournament he’s taken part in.
Steven said: “It’s like a pyramid system, the higher you go, the harder it is to win, you are playing people you’ve never played before.
“I only took up poker a year back in September. I was in the NUTS Poker League for a while and it’s kind of grown from there.
“In the first two seasons I got first place a few times and won a trophy. I am still in the qualifying for the Glasgow tournament, too. I just want to win as many matches as I can.
“Poker is definitely competitive, it’s like chess. You have to think about your next move but it’s about being sneaky as well. And you definitely need a poker face!”
Steven added: “I’m no different to anyone else, we all have hobbies and this is mine – and it can potentially win me trophies, too.
“And Vegas would be something else. I have wanted to go to for some time. So to get the chance to potentially play against the best, the big boys; real well-known professional poker players, would be amazing and you could potentially be playing for life changing money.”