Some cash games & shopping

The last few days have given me an opportunity to play some cash games, with the main sessions being at Caesars Palace & (finally) a session at the Riviera. Ultimately the Caesars session was profitable, the Riviera not so much. There was a key hand at each venue which became the deciding factor as to whether the evening was profitable or not.
Caesars hand:
Caesars is a $1/3NL game, with quite a few big stacks at the table (largest was around the $900 mark). I sat with $200 and was up to around $250 when the following hand happened.
A lady who has recently sat down at the table with about $150 limps UTG, another lady to my immediate left (who had around $200) also called & I looked down at AsQd & raised to $12. It folded back around & both ladies called my raise. The flop came down AdQs3d & the first lady checked & the lady to my immediate right lead for $25. As I had top two pair, combined with the lady limp-calling pre-flop, I thought it was likely that I had the best hand, though I was not really sure what sort of a hand she could have to be leading into me on the flop. I also had the queen of diamonds, making it impossible for her to have a pair and a flush draw, so I decided to call her bet, hoping she could continue to bet her hand so that I could build a big pot in position with the best hand. Of course the plan changed when the first lady who checked decided to min-check-raise to $50! The lady that bet then called & I decided to have something of a think about the situation. A check-raise normally means one of two things in this type of situation (raising two players who have both already put money in the pot), either she has a big draw or a strong made hand. The logical options for this are 2 pair, a set (most likely 3s because of my hand & card elimination) or a flush/straight combo draw. I'm in decent shape against those hands & even if she has a set of 3s I still have 4 outs to win (though if this is the case I probably have less outs given the other lady in the hand). I decided to re-raise another $75 on top, hoping to get the pot heads-up when I hopefully have the best hand. Of course, the theme continued & the check-raiser called & the other lady moved in for an extra $14, which both I and the other lady in the hand called. She had about $25 left, so I decided to put her all-in on the turn (I was hardly going to fold with the pot so big), even though a less-than-ideal 6d was dealt. She called & the river was an offsuit 8 & I showed my AQ & scooped the $500+ pot! Of course this meant that the session at Caesars was a good one.
Today I went to the Riviera again & actually found a $1/2NL game going, albeit three handed. I decided to sit down anyway & after not too long the game became three handed when the other three players all managed to get their stacks in pre-flop with AKo v AKs v JJ, with the JJ scooping to bust the AKo & take most of the AKs' chips. He rebought, but not long afterwards lost that, so it was just myself & the other guy (who seemed to have an idea of what he was doing & had been the most aggressive at the table). I was about to leave & asked if he wanted to play heads-up (given that 95% or more of games that I have played in break when they get to 4-handed or less). He said yes, so we played heads-up ... which is one of the first times I had played live heads-up cash ... and its something I need to work on! I was getting crushed until I ended up on the right side of a cooler hand, where I had AA v his JJ on a ten high flop, with all the money going in on the turn. My aces held to take down a pot with just over $300 in it. He slowly chipped away at my stack until the following hand came up. I had about $250 to start the hand & he had me covered. He raised pre-flop to $6 (which he had been doing regularly) & I 3-bet to $15 (which I had done occasionally, but it was always to $15) with AKo. He called & we saw a flop of AdTs5d & I lead for $22, which he called. The turn was the Td & I bet $33 & was again called. The river was the Jc & I checked, planning to check-call the river. He then grebbed a stack of red & added a few red & blue ($1) chips to it & slid it forward. What hands could he have in this spot? What could he put me on in this spot? A few things went through my head. he could put me on a hand like QQ & have an ace & think he is value betting. He could have a ten & have me crushed. He could have diamonds & have me crushed. He could have air & be bluffing. He could have an ace that I have crushed. I thought it was pretty close & decided to call. Obviously given the earlier comments he had me crushed & showed 6d9d for a turned flush. In hindsight I guess I could have folded, but its the kind of situation that I have trouble with in no-limit holdem games, which was further made more difficult by my lack of heads-up experience. Anyway, live & learn I suppose.
As for shopping I made a few purchases at Barnes & Noble - a philosophy book 'The Terminator & Philosophy: I'll be back, Therefore I am' which looks at the philosophy in Terminator. I'd done some stuff on this in uni & found it interesting, so if I ever get around to reading it, I might rekindle my interest in philosophy. I also picked up a teaching book & a wrestling magazine because I am such a well-rounded individual that I think on so many levels! :-P
Only a few more days in the USA before I head back to Melbourne ... and the joy of the LV-->LA-->Syd-->Mel return journey ahead of me.
Next on the agenda: More cash games ... and maybe a tourney at the Rio if I can wake up that early!