If you feel like you’re a little more advanced than just playing leisurely poker games with your friends or family on holidays and would like to see how you compete with other players of similar or better abilities, look no further than the ND Texas Hold ’em Championship.

The 12th annual ND Texas Hold ’em Championship poker tournament will be Dec. 30, 2015 to Jan. 2, 2016 at The Vegas Motel in Minot. Players must be 21 years or older to play. The buy-in fee is $150. If you are knocked out, you may try again in a different flight for another $150. Players can register by calling The Vegas at 839-3000, stopping by the motel’s front desk, on the website thevegasmotel.com or by texting 63975. There will be 450 entries accepted per flight.

Registration will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29, 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 30 and 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Play will begin at noon and 5 p.m. on Dec. 29, 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Dec. 30 and 9 a.m. on championship day. If you have pre-registered, you may arrive up two hours to play. Players are encouraged to arrive early so that playing can start on time.

First prize in the tournament is $50,000. There is a prize pool of $172,000. The tournament will pay out to the top 100 places. The economic impact of this tournament is estimated at $2 million to the community. The gaming sponsor of the tournament is the MSU Alumni Association. Proceeds from the tournament will go toward the MSU Alumni Association and will benefit a marketing scholarship fund.

Wendy Rupert, co-founder of the poker tournament, said there are an estimated 1,500 players who typically participate in the tournament. They’re hoping for 1,200 to 1,500 people this year, she added, but attendance depends a lot on the weather.

“We’ve had players from 39 states and seven different countries,” said Rupert. “There has also been a lot of interest with out-of-state oil workers over the past few years,” she added. Outside of the World Series of Poker events, Rupert said the ND Texas Hold ’em Championship poker tournament in Minot is one of the largest poker tournaments in the nation.

The tournament is also currently looking for card dealers. Anyone interested in working part-time dealing cards at the tournament can call 839-3000.

It might not seem like it, but the poker tournament can be spectator friendly. Friends and families are encouraged to attend and show their support. “We have a lot of spectators, especially the final table because there can be millions of dollars of chips on the table,” Rupert said. “Winning (often) comes down to luck and strategy.”

Two of the past champions in the ND Texas Hold’ em Poker Championship have been from Canada, one has been from California and the rest have been from North Dakota, Rupert said. Two past winners have come from Minot, she added.

Rupert said the ND Texas Hold ’em Poker Championship was started to create a marquee event for the community. The New Year’s holiday is a slow time of year for the trade, she added, and when the tournament was created, there was a growing interest in poker. “We put together this event and hoped it would grow,” Rupert said.

The ND Texas Hold ’em Poker Championship is a holiday event in which players and workers get to see friends and extended family members, Rupert said. “It’s a great event over the New Year’s holiday, something people look forward to each year,” she added.