[nath]

In the yellow zone I think it is tantamount to take down the pot preflop as much as possible. With that knowledge in mind, I'm looking for situations, not specific cards. There's no more limping; whether or not I raise depends on a combination of my cards, opponents' behavior and stack sizes, and spot in the tournament. Just remember something people forget: Even if you are lowering your standards for early position raises, many people in a similar spot as you will still respect an EP raiser. If you have desperate short stacks or giant stacks at your table this may not apply as much, but your FE tends to be high when you open early.

The second situation you describe, as so many are, requires more specific information. It depends on everything-- raiser's stack size, position and range I would expect from him, chance he will fold, etc.

There are never hard and fast rules because each situation is unique. In general, though, as you drift through the zones you need to be more active in attempting to win pots than you were before.

(I can't really tell you my hand standards, because each situation is specific. I will consider pairs, aces, paint, suited connectors... maybe even pure garbage if I feel the table will fold.)

The one thing I DO want to avoid is a situation where I raise with a very mediocre hand and a small stack goes all-in. In these cases you're usually getting the correct odds to call, but showing down a trashy raising hand will affect your ability to make future steals-- and since you will probably lose the hand and drop to the Red zone as a result, your ability to steal is critical. Unless your opponents aren't paying attention or have already figured it out, they'll be willing to expand your calling ranges against you, which you don't want.

I hope this helps as general advice.