After hopping on namecheap to see if a domain I wanted was available, I noticed that my-keyword-here .com was taken, however keyword-here .com was still up for grabs. Will my-keyword-here .com rank differently than my.keyword-here .com ("My" being used as a subdomain rather than part of the actual domain name) - assuming all other variables are exactly the same, or is the only thing that matters that the keywords are in there somewhere?
my-keyword-here .com is better than my.keyword-here .com because last one is not exact domain. Exact domain is very important if you are targeting specific keyword and making mini site. try to get .net or .org
I think that you should choose keyword-here.com and optimize the site for my keyword here. You can do it with ease. Keywords in the domain name are important but unique and appealing content is more important. Make a website with great content and you will certainly rank for your desired keywords.