What a rush this guy’s on right now. I can almost see the adrenaline coursing through his body. Win or lose, poker or horses or cricket, that’s what gambling junkies get off on. Close your eyes, kids, this is going to be painful to watch.

‘All in,’ the guy said to the dealer, using both hands to shove his remaining half-million or so chips across the line. That got the table’s attention, with people sitting up straighter. All murmured side convos faded.

Eram didn’t need any time to make a decision and, with the guy’s chips already in the middle, there was no value to showboating or acting like he was in the tank.

‘I call,’ he said, tossing a single chip on to the table to signify that his entire stack was in as well.

First day, first-hand all-ins were unheard of. Players typically spent a few hands getting a feel of their table first, like boxers circling each other in the ring, before making any big moves. But the dealer at Eram’s table was a total pro.

‘We have an all-in and a call,’ he announced, deadpan. ‘Sirs, please show your hand.’

Custom dictated that the person whose bet was called flipped their cards first. Even though Eram was sure he had read his opponent right, he was relieved when the guy tabled a queen-jack for a two pair; amateurs didn’t often play textbook poker, making them unpredictable.

Eram turned his own cards over. It took a moment for his neighbour to realize what he was up against, and then it was like watching a building implode.

He probably thought he was up against a big king, or other single pair. Something he was ahead of anyway. A queen on the river would give us both a full house, but then the guy would have a bigger one. There’s only two queens left in the deck, so that’s a 4.4 per cent chance of hitting one of them.

‘I folded a queen pre-flop,’ said a skinny guy with stained teeth sitting in the blinds.

Correction. One queen in the deck. 2.2 per cent.

‘Good luck,’ said Eram to the guy on his right. He didn’t really mean it.

The dealer softly thumped his fist twice on the felt, discarded a card and opened the river. It was a total brick. The two of spades. Being eliminated in the first hand of the biggest tournament ever to be held in the country was obviously nobody’s dream run, but the guy who had just been busted was a sport about it.

‘Nice hand,’ he said to Eram. He wished the table luck, thanked the dealer and left the room without a fuss.

And just like that, Eram doubled up his starting stack to become the tournament’s chip leader.

A thing most people don’t know about poker is how mind-numbingly tedious it can get. Apart from the handful of times you’re dealt cards you can play a big pot with, for over six hours you’re mostly folding and watching other people play; and since most hands never reach a river showdown, the truth is that you’re either folding or watching those other people fold as well.