The BBC reports that 24 players in Greenwich, south-east London have since Friday evening been playing poker without interruption in an attempt to set a new world record for continuous poker playing.
The players began their endurance bid on Friday night in the Basement Jacks club in the suburb, each putting GBP 20 in the pot, with the winner taking half of the money and the rest going to charity.
After 37 hours, player Sarah Lawrence said: “We’re playing like madmen and bouncing off the walls.” By midmorning UK time Sunday the game, which started at 9.00pm Friday was still going strong, but the BBC has issued no further reports since then. The group’s goal was to keep playing for 43 hours or more, taking breaks only for refreshments and biological visits
Lawrence told the BBC that she was keeping awake with energy drinks, brief walks to stretch her legs and watching classic poker movies.
“We’ve been up all night and the only break you’re allowed is to go to the toilet or get something to eat,” she said.
“We’re going for 43 hours or maybe more. We’ve been through all the emotions. We started off just really high and really happy about being record breakers. Then we went through vague tiredness and there were a few frayed tempers and a bit of grumpiness.
“Now we’re playing like madmen and bouncing off the walls. But there’s a tired determination to keep going.”