All,

Shares Magazine journalist Geoff Ho is off to the bright lights of Las Vegas next week to chance his arm on the card tables out there.

Geoff is an avid poker player and plays in regular tournaments, and now the action in Vegas is beckoning for him.

MoneyAM Poker Room has sponsored him to see how well he can do, and Geoff will be posting regularly on this thread to keep you all informed of the highs and the lows of Las Vegas life.

Will Geoff make his fortune and be sunning himself in the tropics after his week in the US? Or will he return down at heel?

Will he sink? Or will he swim?

Find out with Geoffs diary on this thread starting next week.

Viva Las Vegas!!

Careful Kayak - I always think Brighton is a bit chilly in March.

Rhyll tends to be Bracing as well

Skegness for me early April. Bracing even on a summers day.

Skegness Butlins Tonight. For Me.

Clacton Pier next wednesday,sea fishing for me.

lol

Does he need a caddy to stash the cash & wipe his brow :)

Wimps. Thurso in mid summer is usually baltic!

You lot will go anywhere.
Being a Yorkshireman, still living in Yorkshire, I have no need to travel. I reside in Gods own county, that no other place on Earth can ever be as beautiful as.
The desolation of the moors, the history of York, the cosmopolitan Leeds, the beauty of Whitby and the tranquility of the Dales on my doorstep.
I suggest a winter mornings ramble on Otley Chevin or a lazy summers day in Richmond. Granted, both are bloody freezing, but why go anywhere else?
Okay I admit it, I'm going to Mexico in June, but only to remind me how luck I am to be out on the Pennines in winter.
Alan

HA - I agree.

How can the grand canyon even begin to compare to the majesty and grandeur of the cow and calf on Ilkley moor?

And the beers better

the weather aint

Beer? That ain't beer! ;-))

Yorkshire - a fine place to pass through was always my thinking. ;-)))

If it were the worst beer in England (and its not) it would still be better than that weak Yank crap.

Can I just add JOSEPH HOLTS :-)

ha6 - so true. You can't get a hit from a bucketful over there.

Iain - I guess you can, but I'm unsure why. ;-)))

Hello all

Geoff here. Finally landed in Vegas (Sunday, 26 March 20:32 western time) after an amusing night in LA (I stopped over there first for the day as the flight was about 150 quid cheaper than a direct flight) where many a beer was had and I mugged $120 off a pissed student over a few games of pool. The cocky SOB had the nerve to think that us Brits can't play pool. Well he got a good hiding I tell you.
Also had an interesting night in the Bycycle casino in LA - played a few hands of texas hold'em before I realised than none of the people there knew how to lose with dignity.
While I'm on the subject of dignity, my pet hate at the moment is the US customs and border control service. Its moto includes the words "respect", "courtesy" and "professionalism". My @rse.
Walking through LAX I presented my passport at immigration. I was slightly concerned when the customs agent in front of me looked at my passport sternly and then called his supervisor. The supervisor looked at it before breaking out into giggles. Apparently they found my passport photo funny. If recall correctly, the words were "you look like you just stepped off the boat. pissed." No wonder everybody hates them.
Tomorrow (Tuesday back in dear old Blighty) I'm heading off for a $22 dollar buy in tournament at Stratosphere. For those of you that play poker online but have never really played in a real life competitive tournament before, this is the place to start, rather than going to Bellagio and playing for a minimum of $500. The other thing to note is that Bellagio has a dress code, so those of you planning to go there need to bring smart clothing if you fancy playing there.
The weather out here is great, T-Shirt weather great. As in 68 degrees at a minimum. The only thing I would say is bring a jacket. It was a little nippy when the sun went down. Right, I'm off to a pub called the Rose & Crown. It's a Disney-fied version of an English pub (think JDW but really, really tacky), but it does show the footie so I'm off to watch the tape of Man Utd versus Birmingham. Vaya con dios.
Geoff

Inflict as much pain on the Yanks as possible Geoff.I bleedin Hate them ;-)

Geoff. The Sahara also runs tournaments which I thought were well run. Cost is about $40-$60 dollars from memory - not as much as the Bellagio, anyway. And about 70 entered when I was there. Very enjoyable. The nearby Hilton is OK, but not many enter.

My wife and I had a meal in the Stratosphere - expensive but good and well worth the money for the experience.

Geoff ,go and see some boxing if you get the chance ,you can't beat Vegas for a fight (except the York Hall Bethnal Green) , iv'e seen many there over the years ,but as a young broke man i bought a ticket to Marvin Hagler v Tommy Hearns for the World Middleweight Championship in 1985,,it was my life savings , but probably the best and most exciting night of my life .