I’ve always been the last to step forward when the likes of a magician comes calling for volunteers but frankly I was early to arrive and the only one in the room. I had no choice.

Florian Zimmer is a German illusionist, having made television appearances, worked in his own show and done up close magic in all sorts of places from exhibitions to now, a poker tournament. But I still didn’t feel comfortable when he asked me to give up my glasses.

“Please don’t break them”.

I had visions – blurred ones – of him stamping on them before making them reappear from behind my ears. But what he did was a little more incredible. Handing over my glasses to an onlooker who had them laid on his palms, Florian went into action...

“I need you to wiggle your fingers over them.”

I did – you tend to do anything asked in these situations – and he did the same. Slowly, surely, freakily, the glasses lifted and turned over. There could have been strings I suppose, but I didn’t have my glasses on to see them.

It’s all part of the EPT experience – the side action if you like – for players, qualifiers and press looking for a five minute break from the action. Whilst I tucked into dessert, Mad Harper, Kara Scott and several others joined the list of people getting freaked out – especially when Florian pulled a pencil out of thin air.

A few card tricks more (“You really shouldn’t be allowed in here...” - Mad Harper of PokerStars) it was back to work. But if any players start pulling aces out of nowhere it shouldn’t take long to round up the accomplice.