‘I had to kick Bill Gates out of his $10,000 hotel suite the other night because one of my players had come to town. I told him “The most I can make from you is $10,000 a night – my guy bets that on his first hand. You can move now or security will be here in an hour.”’

Welcome to Vegas. Your host, if you’re willing to bet big, is Steve Cyr – otherwise known as The Whale Hunter. He’s a swashbuckling mercenary who lures the industry’s highest rollers – whales in casino parlance – to wager millions of dollars a night at the world’s most exclusive resorts.