TWO Wee County men are set to take part in a prestigious tournament in Las Vegas after winning numerous poker competitions in the UK.

Thomas Todd (pictured) and Ryan Caw fought off challenges from thousands of poker players across Britain in an effort to get to the glitz and glamour of Sin City.

The pair will fly out on May 24 and compete against 98 others to be crowned Vegas100 champion and the title of the UK's best pub poker player.

Entrants will vie for a slice of the £25,000 pool, with the winner taking home a £5,000 sponsorship deal for the year ahead.

One player will also receive the title of Player of Year during the visit to Las Vegas.

Also, this year the Vegas100 players and guests will have the opportunity to take part in an additional tournament with more than $6000 worth of prizes, including a return trip to Las Vegas and a seat at a World Series of Poker event in 2019.

Thomas, 71, told the Advertiser that he only took up the game within the last decade.

He said: "I'm quite excited. I won the competition at the Old Brewery, Alloa, then won the league in Sauchie before winning in Glasgow between 110 at the Grosvenor Casino.

"I started out playing against my son and his friends about seven or eight years ago, although I've never played on the internet."

Thomas revealed that his son is in fact a great player, too, having won numerous competitions with some eye-catching cash prizes.

He said: "I was worried about for a while because I would go in and he would be playing three matches at a time on a split-screen, but he doesn't play as much now."

Thomas also gave his secret to his winning formula, adding: "You just have to hope that if you read someone, then you better have read them properly.

"You have spells where everything goes for you, then some days nothing goes for you."

The Clacks man said that he is currently in a spot of bad luck, which he is hoping will change before he starts in Las Vegas.

Thomas and Ryan will fly out soon to fly the Wee County flag in America, although he said his wife declined to join him.

"She is going to New Zealand at the end of the year, so she decided not to come," Thomas added.