Fitness guru and business owner Austin Thomas is marking another item off his “bucket list” this weekend, as he heads to Las Vegas to compete in the World Series of Poker.

Thomas, owner of the Washington gym Fitness Unlimited, will compete in the first round of the tournament starting on Sunday, matching his poker skills against a pool of approximately 7,000 players. Over the course of a three-day-long round one, the field will be whittled down. Further rounds over the next week will narrow the field down to the “November Nine,” those who will play in the final event in November.

“I can be there anywhere from one day to nine days,” Thomas said. “My goal is to make it past day one. You make it past day one, you increase your chances exponentially.”

Thomas took up the game in high school and over the past several years has competed, and had some success, in smaller tournaments. He said he promised himself several years ago that he would compete in the World Series of Poker before his 40^th birthday. That birthday is coming up in January.

“It’s my last chance to do this,” Thomas laughed.

While this weekend hosts the culling rounds of the World Series, the tournament draws plenty of people, in addition to the thousands of competitors, and that makes for plenty of entertainment, Thomas said.

“You’ll see celebrities, a lot of celebrities, playing; people in costume, wearing masks. … They do it because they make TV like that. It’s a scene,” he said, adding that he plans to wear a simple Fitness Unlimited T-shirt with the slogan “We change lives.”

According to Thomas, players are randomly assigned to each table, but if a player lands at a table with a big-name poker professional, that’s when the pressure’s on — cameras, reporters and fans will be watching every card.

“It’s a little bit overwhelming,” Thomas said.

The game is not about counting cards, he said. Rather, it’s about percentages — knowing the odds of one hand beating any other possible hand at the table, and how likely those hands are to occur.

“You definitely have to understand the percentages or you’ll be done quick,” Thomas said.

As for how far he thinks he’ll get among the poker ranks, he said he really doesn’t know.

“I don’t know how good I am, honestly,” Thomas laughed. “I enjoy it. It’s more of thinking game that most people think.”

Those interested in following Thomas’ progress at the tournament can visit the World Series of Poker website at wsop.com, and look under the name Oliver Thomas. Play starts Sunday.