Matt Dale wrote off his car earlier this month, but hopes that his luck will change when he takes part in a poker competition in Bristol, which will see the winner walk away more than £100,000 better off.

Matt, 33, from Bishopston, is a regular on the national poker circuit. His biggest win came in Birmingham two years ago when he won £17,000, not bad for a few hours' work.

The website developer has also played poker live on Channel Four.

The British Poker Tour Grand Final will take place all next week at the Gala Casino at the Harbourside, and joining Matt to play the Texas Hold'em version of the game will be hundreds of players from across the country, including ex-EastEnders star Michael Greco.

Greco is a handy poker player, and one of the joys of the game, Matt says, is being able to sit next to celebrities like him as well as some of the best players in the world and compete as equals.

"Playing a game with high stakes is so exciting," says Matt, who used his skills as a web developer to set up his own business www.poker.co.uk, which allows players to gamble online against competitors from across the world.

"It's a great feeling when you manage to bluff someone and get away with it.

"When I first started to play, I used to get nervous, my hand was shaking, my heart was beating and I was sweating.

"Now I can remain calm, but it's still nerve-wracking if you're sitting on a great hand, especially when a lot of money is at stake or you're playing live on Channel Four and your every move is being scrutinised by commentators for the viewers watching back home."

Poker was once only played in smoky backrooms, but has now become one of the fastest growing sports, if it can be called that, in the country.

In Bristol, the Gala Casino on the Harbourside has attracted more people to the game, becoming one of the best places in the UK to play tournament poker. A total of 140 people can play at the same time in its poker room.

The Gala Casinos British Poker Tour Grand Final is one of the country's biggest poker tournaments. Although Gala Casinos has held smaller competitions already in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Nottingham, Liverpool and in Bristol this year, the event on Monday is the biggest of them all. The first ever grand final was held in Bristol last year.

Players can qualify for the grand final by winning a smaller poker competition at a Gala Casino or "buying in" for £1,600, which Matt has done.

"Although some of the best players in the country will be playing in this competition, I think I can win," Matt confidently predicts. "It all depends if I get a good run of cards on the day.

"I'm definitely looking forward to the competition. It's going to be great fun."