It’s often said the great No Limit Hold’em players often have instincts that outweigh their intellects – think of a drunken Layne Flack terrorising a table or a Phil Hellmuth throwing a tantrum. Mike Matusow, however, takes the stereotype to a new level, threatening to unleash destruction in any direction. Take the fact that ‘Mike Matusow blow-up’ is the blanket term US sports broadcaster ESPN has made for an act of tournament hari-kari.

Perhaps this is because he has suffered some of the cruellest blows ever dealt in high profile events. The most famous – and possibly brutal – televised hand of all time came at the 2005 WSOP main event final table, just months after he’d finished a jail sentence for drug related offences.