POKER ace Lee Connett is flushed with success, after spending a penny to enter a major tournament, and scooping £3,500.

Lee, 46, who lives in Bream with his poker-playing partner Paula Cowling, reckons it is the best penny he has ever spent and to celebrate his success he has jetted out to Las Vegas to see if he can win even more.

Lee splashed out his one pence to enter an online Texas Hold 'Em satellite to take part in the $1million guaranteed Grand Prix event at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham - Europe's biggest poker venue.

He won his way through to another satellite competition which landed him a seat at the live event.

There were 7,180 entries for the three-day tournament, sponsored by an online gaming company, and Lee finished a creditable 17th – in the biggest poker event to be held in Britain.

Lee, who together with Paula, also 46, runs Snippets Dog Grooming in the village, was overjoyed by his success. He said: "It's amazing. The best penny I have ever spent! The tournament was brilliant. There was a real buzz at Dusk Till Dawn for the whole event. It was superbly organised and a great feeling to be playing in such a competition with so many exceptional players."

Now Lee has jetted off to Las Vegas to take part in the Colossus tournament, which boasts a prize pool of £35million and is the opening event in this year's World Series of Poker at the legendary Rio Hotel.

Lee has been playing poker for eight years, and two years ago won the Bristol Masters scooping £10,000.

But he reckons his biggest win has been Paula. She knocked him out of a poker tournament and so he asked her out on a date.

Lee said: "We were both winners that night."

Dusk Till Dawn owner Rob Yong said: "It's a fantastic result for Lee - an incredible achievement for a player spending one penny to enter one of our tournaments online and going on to cash in on the main event.