And then I moved to Vegas. (Preflop)

I moved to Las Vegas recently, started working, and am on my back to poker. Since I last posted, I was stuck, trying to rebuild a roll. In other words, a poker bustout. Even if I had no roll, I was going to move to Vegas.
After getting situated, I returned to the game. Oddly enough, I don't frequent the casinos very much, I've actually been playing a lot online. It's probably my ego, but I don't want to go to the Bellagio and play $4-$8. I'd rather play online, more hands, lower rake, no tips, short handed games, hardly a wait list, deposit bonuses and other promotions.
I came out here with a couple thousand and blew it all right away in a couple $15-$30 sessions. I couldn't handle the swings. So I got rolled for the first time, I didn't like it. I played $5-$10 online and getting rakeback. Broke even day by day, but the rakeback helped. But using poker tracker, I was looking back at my older hands, finding errors in my game. Things like: playing overcards too strong, betting hands that were only good if my opponent folded, missing value bets on the river with marginal hands (top pair, decent kicker), and taking middle pairs too far. These are things that I've done so well in the past that it seems basic. They are. Being able to review hands I've played, keeps my poker mind fresh. Playing on the computer made it easier to see results more objectively. It's true, online poker is good for practice and tuning your game.
It's been about a month, and I've built a solid foundation, payed my dues, and hoping to strengthen my foundation and work my way back up. The game I play is $5-$10 limit hold em, short-handed. I started the first time with full ring games, but I can't take it seriously sometimes. At least short handed, I can play more hands and not get outdrawn, since top pair usually holds up.
The key in these short-handed games is to play two big cards and avoid drawing hands. I usually am aggressive preflop, when I open. If someone limps ahead of me, unless they play 'everything,' I usually require a stronger hand, you're getting action post flop from someone who likes his hand. By playing aggressive preflop, you are defining your hand as a 'good hand' so unless they have one, they will likely give you credit for having and ace or a king, and you usually will.
I'll open with hands down to A9, KT, QJs. It's a tight strategy, especially short handed, but you are almost guaranteed that someone will see a flop with you.
If someone limps, I'll raise with only the bigger hands, like TT-AA, ATs, AJ, KJs, KQ. I limp along with hands down to 9Ts and TJ, and pairs up to 99 (Limping in is game dependant).
If someone raises, I make my standards higher. I'll cold-call with hands AK-AJ, 99, and KQ. Since the game is short handed, almost any hand I'll cold call with, I may also re-raise with it. I make my decision based on: position, the ability to control position, my hand, his raising standards, his post flop play, and his current mood. Also many of the times, since its short handed, you can cold call, not having to protect your hand preflop, still be heads up, and try to represent something on the flop is no ace or king falls. WHAT you can represent is a topic for flop play.

I guess I should say the the games I've been in have been somewhat loose, but slightly aggressive. You can find yourself in way ahead/way behind situations, and calling down often is the right play. An example would be a top pair with decent kicker, or middle pair. I'll be playing at this limit for sometime, until I get my game up to par. I'll try to keep up with this blog, as usual. Next: Flop Play.