[JohnG]

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Ok yeah, i wasn't 100% sure what you meant, I couldn't find what you were quoting exactly. I'm not sure what you mean by ratios tho.

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The ratios are the stack sizes in relation to the bet size. In this case, hero had 8730 and raised to 1800, and villain had 11230. I don't think the villain calling 1800 is a good idea given those stack sizes.

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I would have just called with 9s (or maybe folded, its close)

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Calling sucks. Too high a price to call and try to hit a set, which means you only play if you think you have the best hand now. If you have the best, (but vulnerable hand in poor position), then calling doesn't make sense given the dead money in the pot in relation to the amount left to be bet. You need to play it committally or not play at all on those ratios.

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Pushing back with a premium hand is just too likely to get a fold,

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Isn't it reasonable to assume an UTG raise may be a strong enough hand to call an allin? Besides, increasing your stack by 20% plus without a fight is a mighty fine result. And that's the worse case scenario when re-raising allin holding a premium hand.

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and I'd rather slow down and try to make sure I can get him to commit a large part of his stack.

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The UTG player has already committed 20% of his stack, and has indicated strength. Seeing the flop may just scare him away when he otherwise would have committed it all preflop had you moved in. I know if I were in the UTGs shoes, I'd suspect a trap if the player calling a raise that size did not do so habitually.

I don't see any hand where calling for an amount approx 20% of the stacks in play is generally a good idea. Any hand worth playing is worth a re-raise, and given the ratios, that re-raise would be allin.

I can see just calling the UTG raise for an amount approx 12% of the stacks if holding something like JJ/QQ/AK in this actual spot. Normally, 10% would be my cutoff for just calling, but an exception can be made on borderline amounts here because an allin re-raise would probably not get action from hands that we bury.