Handling Pocket Pairs Preflop

[pipes]

Hello, this is a hand from last night's Stars Rebuy tourney. Any thoughts about how I should have played the pocket tens preflop? (Of course, feel free to address the flop call as well) Also, how would the answer change if you were holding other pairs from 22-AA? Also does the position of the raiser affect things? (UTG vs Mid vs Late)

See the hand below. Thanks in advance for any responses:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (9 handed)

UTG+1 (t29025)
MP1 (t16190)
Hero (t9312)
MP3 (t48135)
CO (t15729)
Button (t11956)
SB (t4655)
BB (t1948)
UTG (t3044)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with T/images/graemlins/spade.gif, T/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
UTG folds, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 raises to t1200</font>, MP1 folds, Hero calls t1200, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds, BB calls t800.

Flop: (t3400) 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 bets t8400</font>, Hero calls t8087 (All-In), BB folds.

Turn: (t19887) 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

River: (t19887) Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: t19887

[cferejohn]

Any read on the raiser? If not, I think I would have played this the same way. If you thought he was really tight in EP (and yes, position matters), you could muck this. If you thought he would raise here with alot of hands, you could come over the top.

[pipes]

Thanks...

No real info on the raiser with the exception that I knew he finished like 3rd or 4th in a NL WCOOP event, so I knew he was solid. By the way, he had 54 of diamonds.

With AA-QQ, I play back. With a low pair 22-77 I'm thinking I could double up if I flop a set. (Too optimistic?)

88-JJ is this hazy area I don't know how to handle. I hoped to get exactly this type of flop with my tens. I was moving in if he checked.

[Scooterdoo]

wow, some flop for him. I probably would have handled it the same way. You had just enough chips that a raise, to work, would have been fairly significant as a % of your stack and you also had enough chips that calling the bet was just on the borderline to being okay -- you still would have enough to bail out if you didn't like the flop. The flop was exactly what you wanted to see (or thought you wanted to see). Nothing wrong with the play -- at least for me.

[Benal]

Dont mess around with big stacks.. You need to fold or push preflop.

[cferejohn]

[ QUOTE ]
Dont mess around with big stacks.. You need to fold or push preflop.

[/ QUOTE ]

Doesn't pushing constitute "messing around"?

[Benal]

"Messing around" meaning cold calling, playing tricky, etc.. When I have a hand that can stand a showdown, I try to eliminate post flop play when a big stack raises PF.

[pipes]

I almost pushed. The reason why I did not was because it was UTG and at best I thought it was probably a coin flip. I called to see the flop to see if I was beating hands like AK and AQ.

I felt I had just enough chips to coldcall and then bail if I did not like the flop.

Trying to figure out what I do next time...