MTT hand w 88 on 30bb (awkward stack size)

[Poker Orifice]

Here's a hand from an MTT I was in today. I was multi-tabling micro MTTs ($1rebuy -> $10 freezeouts) on Stars & Fulltilt & this one was from a $3 mtt on Stars. At this stage in these tourneys you get a real mix of players, from your rank beginner to some others who typically play much higher buyins (one guy on the table was up profit over $100k).

Here's an awkward spot & one that I've been in a bunch of times before. We get 88 and are in SB, sitting on 30bb's. We don't have implied odds to set mine here (only 10to1, preferring 15to1 in most cases as a min.).

I'll post my thoughts.. 'after'.. tks in advance for commenting...
Oh yah.. no reads on 'villain'.. they're new to the table.

PokerStars Game #47326849181: Tournament #294387556, $3.00+$0.30 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level XIII (200/400) - 2010/07/27 2:12:21 ET
Table '294387556 64' 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: koctromich01 (41249 in chips)
Seat 2: YouriCalor (7974 in chips)
Seat 3: Gamblerra (14730 in chips)
Seat 4: JanisSoprano (12765 in chips)
Seat 5: shakye (23668 in chips)
Seat 6: Dreaded King (36710 in chips)
Seat 7: dreamstoni (19450 in chips)
Seat 8: kempoker (9140 in chips)
Seat 9: sergio0869 (25675 in chips)
koctromich01: posts the ante 50
YouriCalor: posts the ante 50
Gamblerra: posts the ante 50
JanisSoprano: posts the ante 50
shakye: posts the ante 50
Dreaded King: posts the ante 50
dreamstoni: posts the ante 50
kempoker: posts the ante 50
sergio0869: posts the ante 50
JanisSoprano: posts small blind 200
shakye: posts big blind 400
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to JanisSoprano [8h 8s]
Dreaded King: folds
dreamstoni: folds
kempoker: folds
sergio0869: folds
koctromich01: raises 800 to 1200
YouriCalor: folds
Gamblerra: folds
JanisSoprano: ???

[Ramster]

This is one of those "you're damned if you do,damned if you dont hands"

How far are you off the money and are you playing to win or cash

You say this guy has just joined the table and you have no reads so he could be up to anything here especially as hes the big stack

Can see reasons for folding but if it was me i'm pushing

[sos_egg_n]

call to hit set and i would say ur stacksize is not awkward but to me it means a call is made easy for u as it is not a huge chunk of ur stack. i would never push the thought of blowing out 30 bb with 88 pre-flop is not one i like so my 2nd option would be to fold.

Rgds

Sos

[Assistanc3]

I'm not raising / shaving ( that could be a tournament mistake )

What I am thinking is what is the BB going to do, how does he play? If passive then a call here might not be so bad to set mine. However with out any knowledge of this new player I can't assume I can out play them on the flop if I miss and being in EP is why I would fold.

[Poker Orifice]

PS. I had flatcalled a couple hands before this one with 6-6 (villain was on table but not involved in hand), having deep enough stacks at the time to set mine. BB came along flop was A-7-7, was checked to me, I stabbed and was check-raised off my hand.
Here I actually don't have a deep enough stack to set mine with and am feeling that my option here is to shove or fold (perhaps for some this may seem like a huge overshove... but really it isn't.... although we're at that point (imo) where we could also fold (albeit grudgingly).
I chose to fold in this spot but posted the HH because I felt it was close either way (sometimes shove... sometimes fold).

[ND1991]

Middle position raise with big stack and no read, would be hard to put him on anything specific.

Play 1: 75%
I call. I figure it is worth 1000 more to try for set especially since I have the chance to double through him. If the flop misses, I check and lay it down to his continuation bet. I know the odds are not there to set mine, but I would gamble little because you have enough of a stack. A shakye push would be worst outcome here for me.

Play 2: 15%
Fold. No reason to get involved here. I have to hit set or maybe 567 flop to want to continue.

Play 3: 10%
Shove. Guy is new to table, has a big stack and it folded around to him. Does he want to risk that many chips? Only one other player behind me.

[Poker Orifice]

Middle position raise with big stack and no read, would be hard to put him on anything specific.

Play 1: 75%
I call. I figure it is worth 1000 more to try for set especially since I have the chance to double through him. If the flop misses, I check and lay it down to his continuation bet. I know the odds are not there to set mine, but I would gamble little because you have enough of a stack. A shakye push would be worst outcome here for me.
This sounds a bit contradictory... the odds are not there to set mine.. <> you have a enough of a stack
This ^ is confusing me?
We really want our stack to be 15x (min.) the size of villain's bet in spots like these. In this hand we clearly don't... so in fact 'we don't have enough of a stack'.
Calling in spots like this is pretty much just bleeding off chips. Had I been down to ~ <25bb's it would've made my decision easier as I would've just put the pile in.

Play 2: 15%
Fold. No reason to get involved here. I have to hit set or maybe 567 flop to want to continue.

Play 3: 10%
Shove. Guy is new to table, has a big stack and it folded around to him. Does he want to risk that many chips? Only one other player behind me.

thanks for the responses

[sos_egg_n]

what do u mean by u are not getting odds? as chip stack wise u have plenty as 10-1 is how i like to call for a set u have 15-1. if u mean u havent got the odds already u never will have unless ur in big blind with no raise or 7 limpers on a table from the small blind.

[sos_egg_n]

ignore comment just noticed u want 15-1 on a call.

[Poker Orifice]

ignore comment just noticed u want 15-1 on a call.

It's actually a good comment sos.. and when I get a bit more time I'll go into a detailed answer about what I think... from what I've read from a bunch of sources (not right now though.. I'm grinding away in the microdonkaments... one min. cash so far in the $10-20k on stars... of course my 88 runs into 99 just after bubble bursts (CO shove.. SB wakes up with 99.. sigh).