Couple situations I struggle with in SnG tourneys

[Darby]

This generally deals with home games where I know the people, but still I struggle with these situations. I want to get some advice and then I can put my own thoughts in a post later on.

1. You are an average stack (15 BB for the sake of this scenario). 6 handed. UTG you look down at pocket 3's (or some other baby pair for that matter). What do you do?

2. Same situation, 6 handed, average stack, UTG you look down at A-8 offsuit (or some other semi-weak ace). What do you do?

3. Suppose here you are the big stack. A player goes all-in and you have pocket 7's. Its folded to you and its ~1/4 of you chips? What if it is ~1/3 of your chips? Obviously you need to know what type of hand the player is capable of pushing with here, but generally, what % of your stack can you afford to call off on a likely coinflip?

4. This just happened to me. I have pocket 6's in the big blind and check. The flop comes 2-6-Q -- all spades. I lead out with a pot sized bet to protect my hand, and the player behind be goes all in for about 4.5x my original raise. He is one of the more knowlegable players there, so it made me think. I knew he could be making this play with a variety of hands, and I believed he was bluffing and held maybe A-Q with the A-spades. Also, if my understanding of the odds are correct the board will pair ~1/3 times anyway, so I called. Is this an automatic call?

[vqc]

1)limp
2)fold
3)Is it still 6 handed? I fold if its 1/3 and 1/4 of my chips. Also it depends how "big" my stack is in relation to the other players. 6 Handed, I dont want to call an all in with pocket 77. Unless this guy had been pushing every hand recently trying to build his stack. Even then I would be wary, to Call off any portion of my stack to a coinflip
4) If he has the ace of spades, you will win about 73% of the time. If he has already made his flush, you will win about 35% of the time. How much of your stack is in jeopardy will be a big factor in whether or not you call.

[gabe]

1. is the table very aggressive? do you think your UTG raise will get respect and win the blinds?
2. fold
3. depends on pot odds. if he pushed with a 3bb stack and i'm in the bb with a 12bb stack, i have to call 2bb to win 4.5, which are great odds. pot odds and the range he is pushing with are the most important details.

4. i would call there 90% of the time.

[DavSimon]

3. depends on pot odds. if he pushed with a 3bb stack and i'm in the bb with a 12bb stack, i have to call 2bb to win 4.5, which are great odds. pot odds and the range he is pushing with are the most important details.

While pot odd are important I would be concerned nearly as much with my stack size in relation to the blinds...I will make a thin call if it has the potential to eliminate an opponent AND it will not leave me in too bad a spot if I lose. 1/4 of my stack and if I lose I still have 10BB+.....I'm in it to win it.

[Darby]

This generally deals with home games where I know the people, but still I struggle with these situations. I want to get some advice and then I can put my own thoughts in a post later on.

1. You are an average stack (15 BB for the sake of this scenario). 6 handed. UTG you look down at pocket 3's (or some other baby pair for that matter). What do you do?

2. Same situation, 6 handed, average stack, UTG you look down at A-8 offsuit (or some other semi-weak ace). What do you do?

3. Suppose here you are the big stack. A player goes all-in and you have pocket 7's. Its folded to you and its ~1/4 of you chips? What if it is ~1/3 of your chips? Obviously you need to know what type of hand the player is capable of pushing with here, but generally, what % of your stack can you afford to call off on a likely coinflip?

4. This just happened to me. I have pocket 6's in the big blind and check. The flop comes 2-6-Q -- all spades. I lead out with a pot sized bet to protect my hand, and the player behind be goes all in for about 4.5x my original raise. He is one of the more knowlegable players there, so it made me think. I knew he could be making this play with a variety of hands, and I believed he was bluffing and held maybe A-Q with the A-spades. Also, if my understanding of the odds are correct the board will pair ~1/3 times anyway, so I called. Is this an automatic call?

These are my thoughts (based on the ppeople I play with, tell me if my thinking is flawed):

1. There is generally a raise every hand, and almost always a flop. So if I raise someone will generally call, and there will most likely be a raise if I limp. Therefore, I usually fold here, because to call a small raise, and then see where I am on the flop can get expensive. However, with certain players who I know I can bust if I hit my set, I will see the flop.

2. Generally fold, sometimes steal depending on who is still in the game.

3. Again, when I know who I am playing it plays a big role, since there are plenty of people who grossly overvalue A-rag.

4. This last one, I called his push, which was about half of my stack, because I thought he could be bluffing. I called and he had 10-8 of spades, and the board never paired.

[DavSimon]

1. There is generally a raise every hand, and almost always a flop. So if I raise someone will generally call, and there will most likely be a raise if I limp. Therefore, I usually fold here, because to call a small raise, and then see where I am on the flop can get expensive. However, with certain players who I know I can bust if I hit my set, I will see the flop.

Limp or min-raise small pocket pairs and call anything up to a 3-4x raise if you are in late position. No need to worry about what might happen, just play you hand. If you min raise and get 3 callers and hit a set that is +EV....big time. Very often if I am in late position and the flop is particularly raggy and it gets checked around to me I will bet the pot and take it down right there......don't be folding those small pocket pairs, unless it is truly warranted. Playing tight early is good....but playing tight includes A-K, A-Q.....some high suited cards like Q-J or K-J...and all pocket pairs. I can't count the number of times that I have doubled up in round 1 or 2 of the blinds because I called a 3x raise with 4-4 and flopped a hidden set to take down A-J.....or something like it.

[ihategnomes]

1.) Limp
2.) Fold
3.) This depends on a lot of variables. Blinds, the level of play of the opposition, etc...

4.) Stack sizes are real real real important here. there was no raise preflop, AQ is out of the question. Suited stuff is likely, Id make the play based off the current chip stacks.

[zenbitz]

I have to say, I don't like the baby pair UTG 6-way with a loose-aggressive table. (almost always a raise and a flop). With position they are fine.

The exception might be if the table is really tight/weak post flop - then you can buy the pot if the flop is raggy (and you raised).

A min-raise might be best, especially if there are some other hands you min-raise.

[TLR]

1. Limp, fold to agressive raising
2. On an agressive table fold
3. You are coinflip at best - fold
4. This is probably the most intersting case, and it depends a lot on your table image - can he think he can force you out of a hand or not, without any reads I would call