There would be time enough for counting when the dealing was done, as players found out this weekend during the North Dakota State Championship Texas Hold ’em Poker Tournament held at The Vegas Motel in Minot.

The 12th annual ND State Championship Texas Hold ’em Poker Tournament was held Dec. 30 to Jan. 2. Players had to be 21 years or older to play, but families and friends were welcome to be there as spectators. First prize in the tournament was $50,000 with a prize pool of $172,000. The tournament paid out to the top 100 places. The MSU Alumni Association was the gaming sponsor of the event. Proceeds went toward the MSU Alumni Association to benefit a marketing scholarship fund.

As of 2 p.m. on Saturday, players were playing in the final games, with the final table slated to be finishing their game by 9 or 10 p.m. that night, said Wendy Rupert, co-founder of the tournament.

“It has been an amazing, great tournament,” Rupert added. There were 1,260 players in this year’s tournament and 224 players qualified for the championship round. At approximately 2 p.m., 65 players were still in the running for the grand prize. Last year’s champion had already been knocked out by Saturday afternoon, Rupert said.

Chad McNally, tournament director and gaming manager for the MSU Alumni Association, said people at the tournament like seeing the same group of people there every year. “It’s like a family reunion for them to get together and the possibility of winning $50,000 is fun for them,” he added.

Players in this year’s tournament hailed from 10 different states and two Canadian provinces, McNally said.

While the poker tournament has always been held at The Vegas Motel and won’t be moving to any other venue anytime soon, one aspect that does change each year is the number of players. McNally said the tournament grows in number of players each year. “People keep filling up the space,” he added.

Next year, there will be the addition of the Calcutta round, McNally said, where people can buy in and pick the player they want to win. That way the players and fans can both get involved, he added.

McNally said he has never played poker, which makes him the perfect director and master of ceremonies for the tournament. “I like seeing the same people come back year after year,” he added, about why he likes the tournament. “We have a great group of past champions and that makes it fun to see them and other familiar faces and look for a new champion.”