Texas Hold’em requires a good knowledge of the rules of the game and mathematical skill, said Mitch Schock, manager of the North Dakota State Championship Poker Tournament. It also requires more subtle skills, such as how to read an opposing player’s face and maintain a “poker” face yourself.

More than 700 people from North Dakota and other states are expected to try their skills in the third annual poker tournament being held this weekend at the Vegas Hotel in Minot. The 50 best players from the qualifying rounds Saturday and from the qualifying rounds today will be given a chance to play for a $25,000 pot on Monday. On Saturday afternoon, poker players frowned, inspected their cards and did their best to ignore the tension mounting at the table.

Players came from Alaska, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, Texas, Arizona and Florida as well as from North Dakota. Wendy Rupert, general manager of the Vegas Hotel, said some of the players from out of state have relatives in town and decided to visit when they heard about the poker tournament. Each player paid a $100 entry fee for the opportunity to enter the competition. The number of players in the tournament has increased each year since it started.

Schock, who finished 29th in the World Series of Poker last spring, also manages the Dakota Poker Tour in North Dakota. Texas Hold’em has exploded in popularity over the past five years, said Schock, and has become a popular spectator sport aired on ESPN. It became more fun to watch the game once a camera was focused on the cards held by the players, letting the audience see the player’s hand.

The popularity of Texas Hold’em was one of the reasons the state championship poker tournament was started a few years ago. Rupert said they were looking for an event that would draw a large crowd during a time of year when there aren’t a lot of events in Minot. The poker tournament also provides an alternative New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day activity, she said, and many of the poker players and their families will spend money in Minot. People who want to come and watch the poker tournament will also be able to have a drink or a meal in the Sevens Bar and Restaurant.

“We even have confetti for the winner,” Rupert said.

The tournament is being sponsored by the Minot State University Alumni Association. Chad McNally, from Minot State University, said some of the proceeds from the tournament will go to fund scholarships for students.

The poker tournament will continue through Monday at the Vegas Hotel.