Hi guys

Villain is 18/3 over 35 hands

i am having big problems reacting to spots like this.

I think either he has the flush and is trying to extract value from my ace or he is way behind (like some flush draw?) and is trying to push out my TP ; dont think he takes this line with an ace.

So at the end i am just guessing. Sometimes i call and get destroyed and other times it´s a nice bluff catch...is there any rule of thumb about how to react to these spots? I dont have much experience yet in MTT so i am not sure if i should take a shot at these spots and buid a stack or flee from this guessing situations and wait for a better chance....

[converted_hand][hand_history]Poker Stars, $0.90 Buy-in (125/250 blinds, 30 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 9 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37933477

SB: 9,375 (37.5 bb)
Hero (BB): 5,210 (20.8 bb)
UTG+1: 8,592 (34.4 bb)
UTG+2: 6,226 (24.9 bb)
MP1: 13,025 (52.1 bb)
MP2: 3,800 (15.2 bb)
MP3: 3,452 (13.8 bb)
CO: 10,516 (42.1 bb)
BTN: 27,024 (108.1 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BB with T A
5 folds, CO calls 250, BTN raises to 500, SB calls 375, Hero calls 250, CO calls 250

Flop: (2,270) 5 A K (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, CO checks, BTN bets 1,000, SB folds, Hero calls 1,000, CO folds

Turn: (4,270) 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets 25,494 and is all-in, Hero folds

With 20bb you have to be really careful defending with an unsuited and easily dominated hand in a multiway pot. In fact you might be better off just shoving pre. Otherwise you get stuck postflop just as you did here.

I don't think we can fold pre getting somewhere near 10-1. Against some V's we can shove but would not against tight- looking player albeit on a small sample. So defend seems fine.

Min raise from tightish player rings some alarm bells - hard to think he is raising many raggy aces so flop may even be a fold and turn certainly is - I don't agree with OP's ranging of V as nuts or nothing - it's only a pot-sized bet so i think this is very often a strong ace

Shove pre. As played I would fold turn. I don't think its ever a flush on this board when villain shoves. More likely AK or a Ax with a spade.

Curiously I just read an article that says that you shouldn't defend your blind with junk when you are 20-30 BB....but I think pot odds are too good to let it go , I mean , this is not 37o or something like that

About shoving I admit I never thought about it ; perhaps vs 1-2 villains I go for it but with so many people in the pot and that weird mini raise....a little too risky for me

I'd actually rather defend with 73o - the reverse implied odds of ATo multiway are huge.

I think its either a shove or fold here based on reads.

We aren't even deep to worry about RIO here. But the turn is a fold for me vs his stats. People aren't 18/3 as a non-nit person even on a small sample. I think pre is fine but we're not thrilled obv.

shove is fine and flat is fine pre.

Vs this specific player, dont hate a flat, x/jam flop now

The RIO may be limited but still important when the risk is busting.

with around 1.7k already in the pot im shoving happy all day

+1
Would be ok getting this in Pre with 21bb

Either get it in pre flop or on the flop, need to make a move at some point and this is a fairly decent spot to do so.

+1
shoving pre. Check/shove on flop.

ye this is also fine