Pizzas galore!

Many believe the turning point came in the late 1990s when Channel 4 showed the game in a new format, using cameras under the table to show what cards the players had. “It revolutionised the coverage — viewers could follow the drama and more and more people became drawn to the game,” said Brunner.

Psychologists believe that in a society with little raw danger and plenty of disposable income, poker offers a controlled outlet for male aggression and competitiveness, a view confirmed by Tom Leveritt, 29, an artist from west London who organises the Grand in the Strand.

“It’s a way of measuring yourself against other people,” he said. “There’s vanity too, trying to show you’re smarter than average, and have the ability to dupe people.” It’s a theory echoed by Martin Amis, the novelist and veteran player, who has said: “Whenever you see it on film, and even in novels, it is played by people who are very self-contained and are able to conceal their emotions, and these are qualities we very much seem to admire.”

Poker ingenues assume that winning is simply about being dealt the right cards. But great players will win even if they aren’t dealt an ace all night, because success depends on outsmarting your opponent.

Betting well requires sensing what cards your opponent has and what he intends to do. Does he glance at his chips when you raise? He’s probably not confident with his cards and is wondering whether he wants to chance it.

Is he sitting too still and avoiding your eye? Could be he’s got great cards and doesn’t want to give anything away, so he can lure you in and take your money. Many of the best players are stone faced or are naturally relaxed and so soak up stress without showing it.

Watching the bets during the different stages of a hand is also key to knowing what cards opponents may have, as is knowing when to “close out” players by piling in with a brutal raise.

Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, a world poker champion who conceals his gaze behind holographic, snake-eyes sunglasses, advises watching a player’s chest to see how fast they are breathing. Even if a player’s face gives nothing away, they often have an increased heart rate and breathe faster when holding winning cards.

But while, for some, knowing how to play Texas Hold ’Em, Omaha, Five-Card Draw and Seven-Card Stud is fast becoming a required social skill, others are becoming hermits, glued to their PCs while playing online against players from around the world.

Getting six busy professionals into a living room to play a real-life game can be an organisational nightmare, so many are turning to the web instead.

Online, the casino is open 24 hours a day, with stakes to suit every preference. But it still retains the allure of pitting your wits against others. As Mark Griffiths, a gambling expert at Nottingham Trent University, explained: “You don’t bet against ‘the house’, you are playing directly against your opponents. That sense of competition is hugely attractive.”

The electronic medium also evens up the playing field for those who might be nervous playing face to face. Online, there’s no chance you’ll betray the pair of aces you’re holding by spilling your drink or scratching your nose.

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