'Should have put it ALL on red' are the words ringing in my head as we left Las Vegas.

Three days into a three month trip around north, central and south America and we are $20 up, but it could have been more.

We SO should have gone hard or gone home.

Touching down in LA, we're surprised to find both car hire and hotel booking are smoothly done - in particular the late night jacuzzi at the Hermosa Hotel is a particular highlight.

Out of town, Hermosa is a little like Richmond-Upon-Thames on the sea, with $6million town houses the norm. A stroll on the sea front is a must.

Not booking a sat nav system with the hire car was a bold move and this was proved beyond doubt as we made our way through LA to Berverley Hills, the Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

But once on the Pacific Coast Highway it is plain sailing - although a little slow going.

Note to self - if objects in the rear view mirror seem closer than they are, then places on US maps seem further away than they are.

Having given up on the road to Santa Barbara, the tarmac into the Nevada desert is long and straight and even the road signs on route help you prepare for a couple of nights in Sin City. A handy road-side count-down of the Ten Commandments is the icing on the cake.

But nothing quite prepares you for the glitz and debauchery of what can only be described as Disneyland for adults.

It takes until the second night for me to be drawn on to the gaming tables and that is where we came in.

Ten dollars on red was what I was prepared to gamble on the roulette table having vowed to put the travel budget on it when I left the UK.

It could have been magic, it could have been horrendous and that is Vegas.

Where we stayed:

Hermosa Hotel, Los Angeles: One night, £50.

Luxor, Las Vegas: Two nights, £90.

Car hire: Hyundai SUV, £678 (for four weeks).