‘I ’m stuck $60,000,’ Mike Matusow announces, sounding mildly bummed. ‘But that’s okay. Last night I was behind $100,000. And I’ve still got $2m. And, this football season, I’m telling all the bookies that after I fall behind $200,000 I’m fuckin’ walking.’ Matusow stands at the top of a hard-angled staircase that looks down on the living room of his cathedralceilinged 3,700 sq ft home in Henderson, Nevada – a suburb of Las Vegas. His current losses arise from a 24-hour binge of high stakes online Texas Hold’em; his $2m bankroll is bedrocked in proceeds from last year’s World Series of Poker and a first place finish (for a cool million) in last November’s Tournament of Champions.