[AaronBrown]

I think you are mixing up two different ideas.

(1) Generally speaking, you like to be in hands where your chance of winning is better than your pot odds. In this case, it's not the absolute size of the pot that matters, but the size relative to both your bet and your chance of winning.

(2) When there are a lot of players in the pot, small cards can be better than big ones. People who raise and call are more likely to have big cards, so (a) big cards are less likely on the board than small ones and (b) you're likely to be helped by boards that don't help others, so you can win more pots.

If you only have to pay $20 to get into a $480 pot, you're willing to call with a hand that is a longshot to win. So you would play a weaker hand than if you needed to pay $230 to call this bet. That's (1). You still have to consider the rest of the hand, however.

In a pot with 11 other players, A6s is nice for the flush draw, but a tough hand to play otherwise. That's (2). Unless a 6 shows up on the flop, it's hard to call a big bet in no-limit. Someone very likely has A with a better kicker, so an A doesn't make you confident. If no A shows up, someone might well have a high pair, or have paired. Also, any flush and straight possibilities on the board have to be taken seriously. You might well have the best hand by the river, but in no-limit you're not likely to see the river. In limit, it's a better proposition, but you'll still lose a lot to A with a better kicker.