Vegas never sleeps?  Well it certainly does snooze!
The World Series of Poker main event will be under way within 36 hours resultingly an approximate 8,000-odd players will be stumping up $10,000 to play in the tournament. 

I’d estimate an amazing 10,000+ blogs will be created between them.  Boy, they are evidently an addictive tool for those suffering from first-degree narcissism.

My point is… who is interested?  Just ask yourself how many people hang around to watch the final table of any tournament?  Nil, zip, zilch, unless they are desperate to catch a glance of their mug on an obscure satellite station at some unearthly time of the morning.

In the main, these ‘blogs’ are specimens of the written word in its most unattractive form.  Nonsense punctuated only, and regularly, by the words ‘I’ and ‘me’.

I beg you, sit me down before a box set DVD collection of Roots or force me to watch fifty consecutive episodes of Countdown before making me endure another poker player's ‘blog’. 

And, if you do so, hide any remotely sharp instruments as I may attempt to hack off my head.  Similarly keep me away from all kitchen utensils as removing my ears with a cheese grater would seem like fun.

Let’s make it perfectly clear, if I have not already, if I had a six year old who came home from school clutching a piece of lined A4 with such self-absorbed scribblings he would be sent directly to bed without as much as a slice of burnt toast for supper.  Furthermore, I would request the school gives him a month’s detention.

OK, call me hypercritical as I’ve written about poker for over seven years now, but I have always tried to strike a balance between factual reporting and entertainment whilst heaping praise on those that are deserved of it and, if forced to make mention of my own endeavours, it is done in a self-deprecating fashion.

Yet today I break new ground and in the face of first degree boredom – I am about to lose my blog virginity.

Apparently Las Vegas is a city that never sleeps.  Havingjust spent the last two hours walking around Caesars Palace hotel here in this neon-lit oases in the desert all I can suggest is it does a very good impression of sleep. 

Three pensioners domiciled before fruit machines and two partly populated gaming tables apart, this place is in slumber.  It’s 5.30am and I’m suffering from insomnia induced by the condition commonly known as jetlag.  My 26-hour journey getting to Las Vegas has certainly not helped my condition.

That came courtesy of Jet Blue Airways who cancelled my connecting flight from hometown Dublin.  They said it was due to weather conditions which was bizarre as there was not a cloud in the skyor a puff of wind between New York and Hawaii – so I found myself with several hours to spare stranded at JFK’s Airport.

Irksomely Aer Lingus, the Irish national airline who I booked through, did not allow me tofrequent their VIP area free-of-charge despite membership of their frequent flier program and their partner airline’s faux-pas.  Instead I was forced to pay $35 for the privilege of abusing their bar for eight solid hours.  Let me tell you, it was worth every penny!

Here the internet connection was so fast I got the impression that if I were playing on Betfair the horses would be in the unsaddling enclosure whilst other punters were still backing and laying in-running.

Funnily enough, talking of Betfair, I had one of my best days ever on their betting exchange last month.  It was the day I barred myself!

But high-speed cyberspace was not the only advantage.  There was a drinks cabinet which would feature in a modern day rewrite of Aladdin’s Cave.  A library was at hand which boasted the likes of a copy of Kieren Fallon’s autobiography.  And, in addition to enough snacks to push Mr Creosote into explosion mode, a dinner was served at 3pm.  Furthermore there were showers with complimentary shampoo, shower gel and deodorant. 

I swear ifDublin airport could offer the same fare at the same cost I’d make the 80-mile return journey from my home to attend on a daily basis.

Eventually I arrived in Vegas following an hour sat on the runway and a near six-hourflight.  To quote a phrase which was aired a few times during the BBC’s coverage of Royal Ascot, I was bollixed!

Crashing out at 1.30am, following room service which consisted of a pork chop, a flan and a milkshake costing $70 (I am keeping the receipt to remind me of the value of money), I woke just five hours later. 

Youtube surfing took up most of the morning before a group of friends headed off to see my mate Colin ‘Jaws’ Lloyd play darts at Mandalay Bay.

Colin is a sound fella and before the game he was realistic about his chances: “The other guy [Peter Wright, his opponent] has never played on television before, he is a qualifier, but he is playing bloody well and he actually beat me 6-0 in a tournament yesterday,” he explained.  “Additionally I do not feel very well at all!”

Whilst I was feeling for the guy, most of my friends, on hearing Col’s appraisal of his chances, were reaching for their phones to get stuck into his opponent at any price they could get.

An hour later, following Colin’s dismissal of Peter Wright six-games-to-three, we hit the bar at the Hard Rock Casino – Colin (and myself who did not turn turncoat) to celebrate, the rest of the lads to get drunk to justify feeling sick!

That was pretty much the end of Day 1 in Vegas for me as five hours later, slightly intoxicated, I was in bed for a few hours; sleep which turned into a full session and now sees me wide awake in the wee hours so bored I’m writing a blog!

I’ve got to get the body clock in order today as at noon on Friday the WSOP starts for me.  Simultaneously Col Lloyd will begin his second round match in the Las Vegas Desert Classic incidentally - and I have no idea of his health/assessment of his chances!

I’ve played the main event at the WSOP three times and never got beyond Day 1.  In fact I’ve never increased my starting stack by more than ten per cent in any of those attempts.

This year things will be different.  I’d take odds-on about me going through to the second day, despite knowing only a little over a third of the field will do so.  I am focused, fresh as a daisy and determined to bring home some winnings for the family. 

One person in ten will ultimately earn prize-money yet, likewise, I’d take odds considerably less than 9/1 about doing so.  You have to be confident in this game and this year I have that aplenty. 

Things are different this time around - hell, I’m even writing a blog!