It's hardly his natural habitat and Ken Doherty appears a little uneasy as his eyes dart quickly from Gerry Ryan to Tommy Tiernan and back again. Actually, he is searching in vain for an opening.

Doherty is here to talk about his new love, poker. And the other two, unsurprisingly, won't shut up.

It is almost nine years since the Ranelagh native briefly became a national obsession by winning the game's biggest prize. A quarter of a million people lined the capital's streets to welcome home the Republic's first snooker world champion. Those people probably knew as much about Doherty then as they do now: a few tales from Jason's snooker hall, the one about that scar on his right cheek and, er, did we mention Ranelagh? Christ, at least in 1997 they could slap 'world champion' in neon lights on top of the barren facts list to pad it out. Despite having more claim on it than most, Doherty has never crossed the line into true celebrity status. Like his snooker career since then he has always been a presence in the media but rarely the focus of attention. Obviously he doesn't enjoy the limelight then?

"I don't dislike it. No, I don't dislike it at all, " he claims, shortly after coming off air.

"It's not often that something like this happens, going in with guys like Tommy Tiernan and talking about something new, something that I am passionate about. That is refreshing for me. It's more fun than the usual blah blah blah about tournaments, your form, and snooker, the usual run-of-the-mill questions that you've been answering for 15 or 16 years. That stuff gets very repetitive."

His brown eyes glance at the list of questions between us and his lips curl into something vaguely resembling a smile. The poker tournament that he has been promoting doesn't start for six hours but it's never too early for mind games. "But the other thing, I don't mind doing it, " he adds, somewhat unconvincingly.

"It's part and parcel of the job and it comes with the territory and you just do it. Some interviews are better than others and some aren't." He smirks again and relaxes into his chair. So is he saying he isn't interested in talking about life outside snooker or he doesn't get asked interesting enough questions? Or is it immaterial because others won't give him a chance to get his speak in? Clearly, his basic bluffing technique needs no work.

"I just want to be known for what I achieve, not for who I am, " he says later. At least that seems to be going to plan.

For the record, Doherty is far from run-of-the-mill. He loves 17th century art and Caravaggio, he likes to spend time admiring architecture, he is a huge Woody Allen fan, a bigger Alex Higgins fan and the biggest Manchester United fan. Today he's wearing a very stylish leather biker jacket over his ridiculouslyslender frame and right now he's fiddling with his cool wine Puma boots. His wife is of Indian-Australian descent and he does a good trade in self-deprecating humour . . .

"Sarah's a psychiatrist, that's how we metf I was one of her patients. I'm okay now though" and "I've never been able to drink when playing snookerfalthough maybe it's time I started".

As you would expect from someone who reached the pinnacle of snooker he is calm, confident and patient but also open and engaging.

He still spends most of his working day practicing in his room in Jason's although the rest of the hall is closed. And he's become something of a card shark in the past 12 months.

"I have a passion now for poker, no doubt about it, " he says, getting animated. "I love soccer and it's my favourite but poker comes in a close second. I get a buzz when I'm playing like I do when I'm playing snooker. It's not the same level because snooker is something I worked hard for all my life but I get that exhilarating feeling from playing, from bluffing, from winning even small competitions on the internet. I haven't had any big wins but I love it, I really do."

Tonight he will take part in the Irish Poker Championships in Citywest and will eventually be very unlucky to miss out on a spot in the final 50 from a total of 400 entries. "There's always been a connection between snooker and poker and a lot of the snooker players are taking it up since Jimmy White had a big win a while back, " he says.

Indeed Steve Davis will also play out in Citywest, but Doherty will comfortably outshine all the other star names.

"People like Stephen Hendry take poker chips to the snooker tournaments and a few of us will have a game, " Doherty reveals. "It's only for small money but it helps to relieve the boredom."

So White, Davis and Hendry enjoy a punt on Texas Hold 'em? White, Davis and Hendry: three of the top 10 snooker players of all time, but from an earlier time. The trio are still competing professionally, but they are only intermittently competitive.

Davis and White are getting as many column inches for their poker skills as for anything they're managing at the snooker table, and while Hendry's poker exploits are not at the same high level, nor is his game compared to 10 years ago. Is the poker something to keep the hands and the mind occupied when you know, deep down, that any snooker practice is only raging against the dying of the light? What have you got Ken?

"Am I over the hill?" the 36-year-old replies, his voice betraying no anger or tension. "No, I don't think so.

I've had a major lean period, particularly in the last few years, since I lost in the world final to Mark Williams in 2003. That was a crushing defeat. It was, it really hurt me." He hasn't made it to the final table of a ranking event since but nor has he considered gathering up his chips and calling it a night. "It's not a worry because I believe I will win other tournaments, I believe that I can still win the world championship and that's what I want, " he adds, that poker face inscrutable.

"I'm practising harder than ever and I love the game."

When Doherty does eventually break up the love-in between Tiernan and Ryan, he actually reveals something to the public: he's into a bit of philosophy. "[Poker] is all about getting through the bad patches and making the most of your opportunities, " he says. "It's like snooker that way, I suppose it's like life."

He'll see that world championship and raise you one.

Since this interview Ken Doherty won the Malta Cup. It was his first world ranking title since 2001.