The smell is intoxicating. That Alaskan giant clams with sun-dried chilli and roasted, minced garlic take up residence in a large, oval salver at the centre of the table at the Bellagio’s opulent Jasmine restaurant. Beyond a smorgasbord of Chinese haute cuisine, past the pastel drapes and the faux-Georgian windows, a salvo of 200-foot-high fountains launch from the glimmering lake into the sky.

But it’s the man opposite me who has my undivided attention. Any poker player worth their salt would give their right arm to hang out with arguably the best Texas hold’em player ever. He’s practically the dictionary definition of a living legend.