At one point in his first Galfond Challenge, Phil Galfond was €900,000 in the hole. He took a few days off, he weighed up his play against his luck. He answered many calls from fans and rivals on Twitter for him to hang up his mouse, admit defeat and take the L with the good humour and grace that he had been credited for so much in the past.

Many of those messages either declared outright or hinted at the same kindly yet cutting opinion on the Run It Once supremo.

‘You used to be great, but this guy is too good for you’, they spoke as a crowd-voice.

Reluctant to let the voice drown out his own thoughts, Galfond took time out in the tank. He processed his play, looked at how many hands he had left to recover the deficit and came to a decision. He was going to play on, to battle for the win when almost a seven-figure sum down.