[lorinda]

Your example is a spot that many here will find difficult (myself included), although they may not all admit it.

The answer is that you should pay as much attention as possible to the people on either side of you.

The only way to answer what you should do here is to know how the big blind will respond.

If he's painfully tight, maybe you could miniraise. If he's a calling station, maybe you could limp and push if you hit the flop. If he's a maniac, you should probably push the A8 and KQ but fold the 9T.

There is no simple answer for what you should always do in this spot.

Lori