PokerStars sponsored player George Danzer cuts an impressive jib when he turns up to play a PokerStars.com EPT – smart suit, a collar on his shirt, the trademark scarf – not of the Dario Minieri kind, but the dress version, made of silk and with a pattern of some kind. For this he stands alone and you sense George could raise with rags one minute, and be found at the bar with a dry Martini in his hand the next.

Also at his table is PokerStars qualifier Ricky Fohrenbach who, with a wave of his fingers, calls an all-in bet from the guy a few seats along. He shows A-Q, his opponent shows A-Q and they take it all back to where they started from.

Fohrenbach demeanour doesn't change a jot and he gets back into what seems like a deep conversation with Irishman Peter Roche sitting alongside. Animated always, Ricky looks like the little brother you gave some loose change to keep busy and stay out of trouble. The reality is that a final table at the PCA and a cash in Dortmund earlier this year mark him down as a player to watch. Right now he’s up to around 25k.

Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano, still on his break, is stood sweating Patrick Antonius’ table, making ‘all-in’ gestures with his hands.

“Patrick’s problem is he’s too conservative” says Luca. “Tight conservative...” Luca’s irony fully armed with Patrick close to 25k.

On the Finn’s table sits PokerStars sponsored player Jan Heitman who is busy tangling in a hand, betting 2,500 on a board reading Ah-2s-6h-Jd. He’s called and the river brings the king of hearts. His opponent lobs three grand into the middle and Jan suddenly looks like he’s reading a story that has had the ending swapped with another story altogether and now doesn’t make sense - a riddle that makes him take off his shades and wince. He calls anyway, is shown a queen-high flush and mucks his cards.

It’s one of the last acts of the first half of the split dinner, as the second half of the room gets up and heads for the buffet.