pocket pairs at final table

[jkamowitz]

This situation has happened to me twice now and both time it has cost me the tournament.

Scenario 1.
Pacific poker 30 dollar tourney. 150 players down to final 4.
Hero is chip leader with 60k in chips others have around 30k.
Hero is BB with 55 against agressive button raiser. blinds 1-2k BB raises to 8k. . action?

Scenario 2.
PokerStars 20 dollar tourney. 550 entered 3 left. Hero is chip leader with 300k other two have around 120k. Hero is BB with 10 10. blinds 10,000-20,000. Button min-raises, Sb, min-raises making it 60,000 action?


Both times i made the mistake of going all in and running into a bigger pocket pair. Q's in scenario 1 and K's in scenario 2. Is there any way to get out of these situations?

[Slick Al]

In hand 1, you're likely a coinflip at best, big dog at worst. If I thought there was significant folding equity I'd push, otherwise fold with these blinds/stacks.

In hand 2, facing 2 min raises, I likely push as big stack. You're ahead of many more hands than the first situation.

Al

[kuro]

Scenario 1:
Why risk all your chips with 55 when the blinds are that low compared to your stack? How many times has this villain raised on the button against your blinds? I'd probably fold or just call and play for set value. If he's been stealing over and over against you then agressively defending with 55 may be waranted, but you're probably coin flipping for your chip lead.

Scenario 2: With blinds that high compared to your stack size, everything is a crap shoot. I don't see how you're not going broke with TT here. Unless it looks like someone else is going to be blinded out in the next few hands you're going to push and go broke against a bigger pair in this setting.