I’m heading out to Vegas again in a few weeks, and that means it’s time to get in the mindset for playing live, 4/8 hold ‘em. My usual limit is still 3/6, so to prepare I am following my usual routine of moving up to 5/10 on the weekends, when the games are softer, so I can get used to the higher limit. I tend to play too tight in the 5/10 game, so that’s something I’m working on.

I also recently read Mike Caro’s book on tells. Though many of the tells he outlines are fairly obvious, even to a newbie like me, it’s important for me to read this book because it reminds me that, when I see people doing these things, I really can go with my reads, especially at the low limits where I play. Often I will see these tells when playing live and think this person is trying to fake me out. I need to have more confidence in my reads.

I will probably play one or two small tournies as well, since I think I’m actually a better tournament player than ring game player. The only problem is that most of the tournies for me are at out-of-the-way places like the Aladdin, where I have to pay $20 for a round-trip cab ride on top of my buy-in, making the tournaments more expensive than the actual price tag.

And did I mention…we’re staying at the Bellagio?

I think the noodle bar at Bellagio is one of my favorite restaurants in the entire world. So good! This is also a prime location because it’s where I prefer to play and right next door to the Mirage, which also has great low limit action (but is unfortunately located much too close to the smoking areas of the casino).

And of course, I wouldn’t be going on this trip to the desert in July if it weren’t for Chris, who will be on the third and final leg of his 2005 WSOP odyssey. This leads me to the most important part of my preparations for the trip: deciding which outfit to wear when I watch Chris play the final table at the main event! ;0)

Party $3/6 HE, full table. I’m dealt 9s8s in late position. Three limpers ahead of me, I limp, another limper, then there’s a raise. Small blind calls, big blind folds, all limpers call. (Seven players!)

Flop: 9h 3d 5d

Checked to me, I bet to see where I am. I get three callers.

Turn: 2d

There’s a bet and a call. I’ve been working on not fearing flushes all the time (I think I fold too often when the flush card comes) so I decide to call. Our friend the pre-flop raiser raises. The two in front of me call, but I decide to let the hand go. I had thought he might have AK-AJ because he didn’t raise the flop, but now the raise on the turn scared me. Even so I’m reluctant because the pot is large and I haven’t seen anything from the other two players that indicates a strong hand.

River: 5s

The preflop raiser bets and gets called by one other player. They turn up the cards and the raiser shows AQo, no flush. The caller shows pocket sixes for the win.

Does anyone call the turn raise? Does anyone fold to the first bet on the turn? This hand feels full of mistakes to me.