Vegas is great for a lot of things, but when it comes to being romantic, it’s tough to beat the wine country in Northern California. This past Valentine’s Day, after having spent months working like crazy on the launch of VictoryPoker.net, a couple friends and I decided to get out of town and head up to Napa Valley. Antonio Esfandiari, his trainer All American Dave, and I decided to treat our girls to a holiday of tasty food, good wine, and gorgeous scenery.

One obstacle was the time available. We’re so busy with VictoryPoker that we really couldn’t be away for long. The original plan was to spend just one night in Napa. Here’s where it pays to have good friends. A buddy of Antonio’s offered to loan us his private jet at cost. That cut down on the hassle and the hours we’d burn in airports. So we took him up on it and piled in– figuratively speaking, of course, as the plane was, after all, a G4 — and headed straight to Napa. The whole thing was exciting for me, but I really loved that the girls had no idea where we were going. It felt really good for us to surprise them with something special – which included several champagne toasts on the way.

We checked into the Meadowood, a beautiful but rustic hotel. It’s composed of private cabins situated on a huge estate. Staying there, you really get a chance to appreciate the natural beauty of this area. It served as an awe-inspiring spot from which to launch our sprint through wine country, which, of course, would be built around visiting private estates. Because nobody wanted to be the designated driver, we cruised the narrow roads in the back of a limo loaded with champagne.

One of the major highlights was Allora Vineyards. This is a winery that produces amazing cabernet sauvignons and is a place that Cole South, Brian Townsend, and other poker players have visited. I can see why they went there. We had a great tasting and really enjoyed the wine. So as not to be shown up by my cab loving Internet legends, I bought a case of Allora’s finest and will be honored to share it with friends over the next month or so.

After that we went to Martin Estates, where I had the chance to meet its owner, Greg Martin. He’s a really cool, 70-year-old guy who looks like Hugh Hefner and originally made his money by dealing guns. Fittingly, his house is filled with taxidermy and antique weapons. We all got drunk together and Martin hit on my girl nonstop – which I took as a total compliment.

We were hoping to eat dinner at the French Laundry, which is known to be the greatest restaurant in Northern California (if not in the whole United States), but the place was packed and we couldn’t get a reservation. What can I say? I guess we’re not baller enough. We wound up at Reed’s, which was a really terrific and modern spot with an excellent wine list. One of the funny things that happened on the trip was a bet that had been made between Antonio and Dave. Every time Antonio said Swanatorrrrr, Dave had to respond by saying Swanerskiiiii. That definitely turned some heads in the restaurant and at the vineyards.

Napa was so much fun that we wound up staying for an extra night, much to the chagrin of Victory’s CEO. Some of us are just not made to do work! We spent our second day bike riding through wine country and had an amazing dinner that night. It was a great trip, thanks to being with good friends in a wonderful part of the country. We flew back to Vegas on the jet, enjoyed some more champagne in the air, and landed with time to prepare for the North American Poker Tour’s main event at the Venetian.

I finished in 113th place for $7,320. It was disappointing, but I played well and know that I’m going to crush a tournament one of these days. Now I’m looking forward to the really big one, the $25,000 invitational, which starts today! VictoryPoker pros have 5 of the 49 seats, and I’m wagering that one of us will win it. I drew the same starting table as Daniel Negreanu. My friends Brian Rast and Sorel Mizzi made a big bet with Daniel — $160,000 all told — that i will take it down over him. I’m hoping to win some money for me and for my friends