The key to understanding what made Alex Salmond tick is to know that he was a gambler. Depending on who you speak to, his habit ranged from enjoying the occasional flutter on the gee-gees, to something more problematic.

The editor of a Scottish tabloid was so convinced it was the latter, they had a reporter permanently tasked with doorstepping bookmaker shops across the country, trying to solicit indiscretions from staff and punters, usually without success.

But his gambling instinct extended beyond the racetrack and the football pitch. It informed everything he did, personally and professionally, and it helps to explain why, for most of his life, he always seemed to be trying to recoup his losses.

When faced with a setback, rather than accept a tactical defeat and regroup, the former SNP leader and First Minister doubled down and ploughed-on regardless, never conceding the possibility that he could be wrong.

Political leaders are either seducers or enforcers. The former – who include Tony Blair, Emmanuel Macron and Nicola Sturgeon – attempt to win over voters with the reasonableness of their argument.

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The latter try to browbeat them into accepting their world view, and it was into this camp that Salmond fell. In this respect, he had more in common with Margaret Thatcher or Gordon Brown.

The same force of personality that brought Scotland to the brink of independence was also responsible for his gargantuan ego, and his zero-sum game approach to life meant that every conversation, encounter, or contact had to result in a win.

Despite his public bonhomie, he was an insecure bully, only ever comfortable in the company of those he regarded as intellectually inferior. He took........

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