If Dimitar stepped out of line, Elena was dead. It was as simple and terrifying as that. 

‘Sam?’ said Dimitar, back in his hotel room. He’d reached the money he required, having doubled his stake. Now he called his friend Sofia’s former boyfriend and fellow high stakes player. Now was the time for Dimitar to listen to an expert on how he could quickly step up the levels. 

The American, who lived in London, adopted a congratulatory tone as he settled himself in front of the camera. In the background, Dimitar noticed rain behind Sam’s head outside the window. 

‘Doubled your stake, then.’ Sam smiled. ‘Good work.’ 

Dimitar waved the wad of cash in front of the camera. 

‘I’ve still no idea where Elena is. Her mobile hasn’t come online since I saw she was in Austria a day or so ago. She’s untraceable now.’

‘I don’t want to sound callous, but you’ve got to forget about her, mate. This Serf guy clearly wants to get one over you. So he’s hardly going to do her any harm when he stands to play you for a million in four weeks’ time.’ 

‘I know you’re right, but it’s hard to forget that she’s somewhere with him. I just want to know that she’s OK.’

‘I know you do. And you will. He’ll be in touch with you. He’s almost certainly watching how you’re getting on. I think he might even know some of the players you’re up against.’

‘How does that help me?’ Dimitar said with a lopsided smile. 

‘It might not, but it could. You’re not going to find out until you sit down with them. But the higher the stakes, the more you’re going to have to pay attention. Don’t be scared to make the sessions you’re playing a bit shorter. There’s a game at the weekend at a golf club near me. A tournament. It’s a £5,000 buy-in. And you can’t risk it all. It’s a re-entry, so you’ll need £10,000, maybe £15,000, as I see it. I think you need to get what you’ve got well into five figures.’ 

‘So what stakes should I be playing? I’ve been playing €1/€3, but they’ve got €2/€5 and €5/€10… or is that too low?’ 

‘It’s definitely not too low. There are going to be players straddling, people will buy-in for way more than €1,000…’

‘€1,000? I’ve got €2,000.’ 

‘You’ll need to step back down if you don’t run it up. Buy-ins are crucial here. You can’t blow the bank.’ 

‘I need to run it up. I know you’ve played higher than this, but you must have played this level.’ 

‘Of course, I played them all, from $1/$2 all the way up to where I am now, which is $200/$400. The thing to remember is how people change up the levels. You’re not going to see many players missing paired boards or not charging people with drawing hands on the turn.’ 

‘They’ve still got to have leaks.’ 

‘Of course they have, everyone does. They’ll just fix them quicker. That’s what I notice whenever I play high stakes. Mistakes get made, but they get punished immediately, and whoever makes them closes the leak right away, they don’t carry on making that mistake. At €5/€10, you’re going to see different mistakes than at ¢1/€2. Learn what they are from each player and try to make them pay in that orbit. Either that, or if they’ve missed it, keep it for a lot longer and keep it to yourself. Give nothing away.’ 

‘Especially not chips.’ 

‘Especially not money. Let’s talk again when you’ve had a session at €2/€5. And don’t worry about Elena. You have to assume the best. Anything else isn’t healthy.’

Sam signed off and Dimitar was alone in his hotel room. It already felt stale, so he showered and prepared to go out. He felt guilty thinking of breakfast, exercise and other stimulants to kick-start his day. Elena might not have such luxuries, but he needed the money and he needed to win quickly. A golf club in London was a million miles from his comfort zone and if he had any chance of playing in that game, then he had to win here.