It depends.

Originally Posted by KnightofNarg

It depends.

succinct, but probably not the kind of answer the OP was looking for.

OP: It truly depends on the situation, however there are some decent general guidelines to follow and some of these are going to change based on the stakes you're playing. Since you're asking the question, I'm going to assume we're talking lower buy-ins (<$5). The following will probably get you started on how to handle those situations at those levels, however you need to be able to adapt to what other people are doing regardless of the level. I'm also going to assume a standard tourney...rebuys are a completely different story during the 1st hour (or during the rebuy period). I also recommend HoH V1 and V2 because they are very good starter material for playing tourneys.

As a general rule, you probably want to avoid AI situations during the early stages of the tourney when the blinds are small relative to your stack size. There should be no reason risking 50-100bb and your tourney life unless you are holding the top 3-4 hands (QQ+, AK) Some people will also recommend, at the micro stakes, being willing to get it in with JJ, but I've never liked doing that. Some people don't feel comfortable doing it with QQ or AK either, but I do with both. Other hands, you want to see a flop and go from there.

As the tourney starts winding down and the blinds get larger, relative to your stack, then you need to widen that range a lot. It can get to the point, when you have less then 5bb, that you should be willing to shove, in certain circumstances, with ATC.

Who you're getting it in against is also going to matter. I wouldn't call a AI shove from a guy who's folded the last 40 hands, has me covered and I'm holding QQ...unless...and we can go on for a while with the unless, but yeah, your opponent and his playing style is going to matter. There's almost too much information to put into a single post. Peruse the forum and find articles online about this and it'll help you understand the situations you should be willing, even happy, to get your chips in the middle, and situations you want to just fold and wait for a better situation.

You're best bet, next time your faced with a situation and you're not sure what you should do, do what you would, then post the HH here for comments. By doing that, frequently, you'll get a better feel for the over all strategy of playing for all your chips and your tournament life.

Originally Posted by Trons

succinct, but probably not the kind of answer the OP was looking for.

Probably not, but I don't like putting a lot of effort into an answer without the OP giving an example of his thought process to show his level of skill. Props to you though for your response

Originally Posted by Beavis68

It is best to go all in before Obama stops you from playing.

Gov'ment Came And Took My Baby!!!!