WSOP main event winner Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson knows his place in the poker world. ‘I’m an outsider,’ he says with a theatrical flourish as he removes his stetson and places it on the table in front of him. He leans back in his chair, half smiling while studying my reaction. I nod, knowing he’s right. But he’s a curious sort of outlaw.

The whole image is deceptive: sharp suit, cowboy hat, boots and 70s rock star mane of hair. It was always meant to be. When Ferguson first arrived in Las Vegas in the late 1990s as a postgraduate student he found wearing the getup made people look at him differently.