In 2003 the late, great Chip Reese lost $2.5m during the course of a three-week session in the Big Game. Yet he was proud of his performance during that period, later claiming that if someone else had been dealt his cards they would have lost $7m! It’s proof, if any was ever needed, that even the world’s greatest can play their very best game and still get beat. But as Chip always said, it’s how you deal with a cold run that counts...

It’s widely acknowledged that the top players are those who are able to divorce themselves from the high levels of variance that exist in poker and continue to plug away until the poker gods smile on them again.

Well, I wish they’d smile on me right now.