I recently returned from my first trip to Las Vegas. It was fantastic and I can't stress how much you'll love it if you love poker. I didn't really know what to expect in terms of playing standards or my own success, but it was a mixed bag in both respects.

After a decent start - $700 up after the first two nights – I was brought back down to earth with a bump the next day losing $500 in a NLHE cash game in the Rio after losing a pot worth over $1,000 when some doddery old fool rivered a flush after I'd made a set on the turn.

I then played a couple of biggish tourneys – a $200 affair in Binion's Horseshoe and $540 Venetian deep-stack – both of which were excellent, affordable alternatives to the WSOP. Unfortunately, I cashed in neither (both had big starting fields) and so I blew all my original profit and more. Oh well, that's what holidays are for.

It's back to the much safer waters of the internet for me now in a bid to rebuild my bankroll and pay off my credit card. And it started last night with a $560 cash in an MTT. I guess it's easier to run over a table with the anonymity that a computer screen affords me. Whatever pays the bills...