Originally Posted by
BankItDrew
Everything I am about to say may be trivial and redundant, but I'm going to anyways.
Preflop is easy game. When folded to you, you should know exactly which hands to play and how to play them. Develop your own personal system and stick to what eventually works for you. My simplistic question that I ask myself is: Do I probably have the best hand right now? Yes - raise. No - fold. Play super tight UTG. like PP's, and AQ+.
You need to think less about your hand and think more about their hand. This is your number one priority. This is the same thing I just explained in the preflop questioning. Do the same postflop. When you're not totally sure if you have the best hand, try to get to a showdown asap and for as cheap as possible. Your tight preflop play will cushion this strategy because you probably had the best hand preflop which means most of the time you'll have the best hand on the river (if checked down 100% of the time).
IMHO Books and pokerstove and other programs are overrated as far as 'getting it'. You'll get it with training your brain to make poker decisions. Don't be lazy! Ask yourself a couple of questions before every decision. Like, do I have the best hand most of the time? Yes - bet! I'm constantly asking myself if now is a good time to bet.