The Mirage

"I want him to think I'm contemplating a call, but all I'm really thinking about is Vegas and the fucking Mirage."

--Rounders

I played poker at the Mirage today for the first time since I moved to Las Vegas. I hadn't booked any huge wins at Planet Hollywood this week, and Todd felt like he was in a rut and wanted to try something different, too. So I just thought: The Mirage.

Just before I moved out from DC a few years back, I took a trip to Vegas scoping out a place to live. On that trip I played limit holdem at the Mirage and lost. So I kinda had a bad feeling about the room from that, and when I moved to Vegas the only no-limit holdem games they spread were $2-5 blinds and higher. But they now spread $1-2 NLH.

Steve and Todd decided to go along for the Mirage experiment. I sat down at a table without them and just felt like I was playing my A-game from the start. I got stuck $100 by calling an all-in on the flop in a 3-way reraised pot on a Queen-high board holding pocket jacks. My call was correct as my opponent had a flush draw and hit the river.

But it was all uphill from there. I played for about four hours and cashed out exactly $1,100 from a $200 buy-in plus a $100 reload. The biggest pot of the night came down as follows:

Seat 2: Solid, Tricky Asian Kid, $550 stack
Seat 3: Me, $600 stack
Seat 6: Crazy LAG European 1, $350 stack
Seat 7: Crazy LAG European 2, $200 stack

Preflop, dealt to Seat 3, 8h7h
Seat 2 calls $2
Seat 3 raises to $10
Seat 6 calls $10
Seat 7 calls $10
Seat 2 calls $8
Comments--I haven't raised for a about an hour at this point, and I haven't raised all session with a suited connector. I am not thrilled with two LAG players calling behind me in position. I will only continuation bet if it's a dry board, it looks like it helped me, or if it really is favorable to me.

Flop, 776 rainbow
Seat 2 checks
Seat 3 bets $20
Seat 6 calls
Seat 7 calls
Seat 2 calls
Comments--I guess if I choose to bet, this is too small even considering how hard I hit it.

Turn, Q
Seat 2 checks
Seat 3 bets $60
Seat 6 folds
Seat 7 folds
Seat 2 raises $60 to $120
Seat 3 reraises $100 more to $220
Seat 2 calls $100
Comments--I know he respects my game to some degree at least, and is putting me on an overpair. He also knows that I respect his game to some degree and that if he raises here I will put him on a big hand. He either has trips, a boat, or a bluff. I think he probably has something similar to what I have, but even if he has a boat he has to be afraid I have QQ when I reraise. So I am actually thinking about pot control when I reraise, because I don't want to have to face a huge bet on the river because I haven't let him know I have a big hand. I will probably check if I don't improve.

River, 8
Seat 2 checks
Seat 3 bets $160
Seat 2 calls with 97
Comments--"Nice river, Sir."

The Mirage, $1-2 NLH
+ $800