i will always slowplay a pocket pair....when i go all in i get screwed in the end someone catches 2 pair or trips

raising big pre flop is just insane, most times top pair will get screwed on the flop if a few people call with q, k or something like that. Or everybody folds and all you get is the blinds on a pair of aces.

Okay, here's my theory on this: always look at how many outs you have in the deck.
For those who do not know, an out is a card that helps your hand (pairs it up, offers a draw to a straight or flush...)

Pocket pair: 2 outs! That's it guys! if you don't make a set (3-of-kind) you can be busted by a 2-pair 2s and 3s. I personally usually check (not a rule but a habit) or offer a medium raise (4-5x big blind)

Connectors (2 cards running such as 4-5): that gives you the 6 outs to make pairs, 12 outs (of which you must hit 3) for a straight. Obviously if those connectors are Q K, it really puts you in a better position but the odds are still somewhat better of flopping something. For me this is small raise time: 2-3 times the blinds.

Suits (pocket hearts unconnectable for example): well that's 11 outs of which you must hit 3, you're still running a fair chance of getting that on the flop but less than making something out of those connectors. With the usual 6 outs to pair up available. That's a check, a small raise for me.

Suited connectors (two cards running of same kind): now there's a good hand, 3 cards same suit on the community cards will help you (hey so much better if it's the flop and it gets the stress out of your mind), possible straights, and possible pairs or better. This is a personal fave! I like playing them coz they always get some kind of action. Rarely will you not hit 1 of your cards, wether suit, pair card or connection to your straight. Medium to big raise (but as always not a rule and depends on what cards KQ will fare better than 23)

In any of these cases, remember, there's no such thing as the winning hand pre-flop in Poker. NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE HAND WAS BEFORE THE FLOP. If you don't hit anything, don't be scared to fold the cards. A good bluff can get you out of a hand or two if you've been playing a while at a table with the same players, but mostly, you have to know they'll fold if they think you have the upper hand on them. If they hit the nuts, you'll get called or re-raised. A player coming over-the-top (raising above your own raise) should have a hand. So if you hit the nuts (the best possible hand with the available cards) then you're getting paid off..

If not, look assiduously at the cards and figure out what hands beat yours, there's 1-2 out there.. luck is on your side, the whole flop doesn't give you anything or almost nothing, now's the time to FOLD!

Examples:

You're dealt K A suited (it happened to me yesterday) the flop comes up AAQ (rainbow of colors.) I bet twice the pot and got called. I'd been playing a while at that table and the guy calling me isn't tossing is money around. I figured, he has either an A too (hopefully not with a Q) or pocket Qs. This puts me in a favorable position, he didn't raise so I ruled out the AQ combination or he'd put me all-in knowing it was the best possible hand then. TURN comes up a K. Now I know I have the best possible hand out there, I checked, hoping to trap him, but he bets. I re-raise and he calls. River comes up a low card. Went all-in, knowing full well there are two things that can happen: I win the pot as I have the top hand, he has the same hand as I and we split. In this case, it was the latter, but this exercise is about learning the possibilities. I had hearts, he had spades, and we both knew what our cards were about, we joked about it and kept on playing knowing full well we'd both just split the small change the other players had put in.

Other example (this is about playing aggressively when everyone thinks you're a slow/conservative player.) Same table, 1 or 2 different players, just a little later on. Was playing K 8 not suited from the button, flop came out J62 in a rainbow of colors. It's checked all the way to me. I figured either someone was trapping (waiting for another guy to bet to re-raise and take the pot or the player) or no one had hit anything (unlikely but hey, they could've hit a small pair.) To test my theory out, I bet half the pot, for which I get 2 folds and 2 calls. Turn comes out a Q and it's once again passed down to me. From the players reaction, I got two things, they still had not hit their cards, like I said, I'd been playing the table a while and these guys were slow, but not that slow, so they weren't trapping. I felt it was time for me to bluff a little so I bet 3x the pot. Called once. This player turned out to have a draw to a straight as per our later discussion with 8-9. River comes out a 3 and he checks. By betting that time, he just folded, alright, the guy had nothing, but neither did I! But more to the point, he never got to see my cards, so he couldn't know if I'd gotten anything or not. He bet a little foolishly, so did I. I'd been showing strong hands every time I'd bet for the past half hour, so when people saw me bet they for sure thought I had something and folded even though they may have had medium hands.

Neither of these hands were my best hands ever, but honestly, I think I played them to the best extent of my abilities and the table I was on. It's harder to read your opponents online and know when they're bluffing, but remember, it's the same for them towards you!

So what should you do pre-flop? Follow your table, learn how each player goes about it, make mental notes (or physical ones if the site offers that option) and remember what you learn. If you're last to act and everyone is aggressive, maybe it's time to fold. You may not want to go all-in or spend a chunk of your stack with that 6 7 off suit. Then again you may want to call 5 times the blind if you can afford it on a A K or K Q suited. If you connect that straight or flush, you'll be in for at least a reasonable payday.

My rules:
1) Learn the ropes slowly. Start off on small money or even better play money table, and play those like they were a million bucks even if some of the other players don't. Keep in mind those aggressive players that don't have a hand and hit them hard when you get the nuts. Take away their dough only then.
2) Have fun: poker is a game! It's not worth losing your shirt or family over nor getting riled up. Be unhappy you lost for yourself but do better next time.
3) Learn from your mistakes.
4) Read up on poker strategies: online, in the library, from friends... It doesn't matter, everybody can teach you something even if you first have to teach them how to play!
5) Must read people on this site (well so far for me at least): our FFDPresident and ImNotGood25. I know there are many others and I'll probably add them in another post but it's a start.

Hope to play you soon and that my little info helps... If not, my apologies, if so, then the best thanks you can give me is to learn from them and become better players.

Cheers!

Wow... there are alot of responses to this Pre-Flop Startegy post. There are some good observations and some good general rules displayed in the posts as well. All things considered I hope that the members of this forum are playing as tight and right as the posts imply. That said...y'all can take all the stats and proper way s to play and throw them out the window or at a window if it makes you feel better.

Each hand is different. I don't mean that 2's are different than K's...duh...I mean evry time there is a new deal it's a new hand. It's a different situation. So lets says you just raiseed pocket Aces the hand before, this time you might want to just limp in or call...and yes sometimes its even correct to fold Aces preflop. Just I said it...Fold pocket Aces preflop. That is if you can recognize that it is the correct play to make. The correct decisions are what make every hand different. And remember you're not playing a computer. You're playing REAL people. People who will make a "sick call" just because they think it'll be funny if their 83off hits the flop like a monster. They'll have yoiu right where they want you. But you keep on playing your perfect textbook strategy and guess what??? Thats all you'll have left against this person becuase you'll never put them on the hand that they're holding.

There's only one way to play pre-flop...and thats to win. Period. This can be done niumerous ways, but it all boils down to your level of skill and playing style. If you have set the table you're playing on up to think that you are a supertight player then you can raise any hand you want from any position. But just remeber be yourself, dont try to play like Gus Hansen, if you dont have all the tools that he has. Be yourself, they're your cards and your chips...if you want to play them...PLAY THEM!!! Just be aware that there are consequences for your actions, sometimes good...sometimes bad. Just dont over value certain hands preflop because everyone says that they're worth something or hold a certain winning %.

I the long run the table will tell you how to play your hand. Just be listening for the correct information when they do.

there isnt a straight strategy

I think that limiting the size of the pots when the pocket calls for it is a strategy that isn't seen often enough. Pocket pairs can become liabilities after the flop so why make the pot too large too early? We've all seen rockets blow up on us so why not take position into account and maybe slowplay a touch in the earlier positions and raise later on when the money's already committed? I've read in more than a few places that the real money comes after the flop so I think that patience is its own reward. The again, the maniac calls for slightly different thinking and the patience factor is the wait for the solid pre-flop hand.

I must admit your quite the pro here man. i took your advice in my home game and it paid off big time. i feel like i should send you some of my winnings for that type of advice.

Thanks

if you start with a good pre-flop hand you must raise at least a little bit. otherwise you allow the weaker hands time to catch up to you. if someone calls the raise chances are they dont have a weak weak hand. thus, if the flop comes low there is a great chance to steal the pot . make sure you are in position and strike. if you run into a big pocket pair there should be basic warning flags everywhere

i reccomend lederers pre flop strag.

If your cards are good enough to play pre-flop, they're good enough to raise on.