First-hand blues

[vexvelour]

I play 5-and 10$ single table tournaments. At this level, oftentimes I find myself in a bit of a rut and want to know how you guys feel about this.

On the very first hand of the game, there's sometimes the guy that will go all in when it gets around to him. I've found myself with hands like AKs, AQs, and middle pocket pairs. I find myself asking of myself...all or nothing? I've called several times with these sorts of hands and have been drawn out on several times. Usually I'll find myself AK vs. Low PP that stands up.

Would you fold for survival reasons or is it +EV to call the all-in most of the time?

[Runner Runner]

Unless I know something about the guy and I am one of the last to act, I am going to need a big pocket pair (QQ+) to call in this spot. When you take a coin flip early for all your chips, you and the other guy gambling are both losing equity and the rest of the table is gaining equity. Calling here with AK or 77 you are looking at a coin flip.

[unreal_nh]

fold

Unless you have a premium hand, you should fold. Too often, this opponent wants you to think that he is screwing around, but in reality, he has a hand that can stand up to pressure. It doesn't mean he has positive expectation, but that he isn't doing this with Qx. Eventually, someone else will risk their stack to shut this jerk down, but it doesn't have to be you. If you call with any hands, make sure it is 99+ (I would need QQ+ or if I felt experimental, TT+). AKs allin 1st hand is not worth it.

[vexvelour]

Thanks for the answers. I had come to a similar conclusion on my own but was unsure if my reasoning was correct.

I have, however, been up against A10, KJ, KQ, and other variations of 2 face cards when I call with AK. This is what really throws me off: I remember these instances and can never tell what brand of idiot I'm up against. Thanks again for the comments.