When you play poker, your starting online poker hand is the first indication of what you’re going to be doing for the next few rounds of betting. They are a big factor in telling you whether or not you’ll be folding or betting, and whether they’re great cards or lousy cards, it pays to know how to play them. Starting out the poker online hand with a big pocket pair is exciting, but if you don’t play it right, you run the risk of wasting it. Big pairs are great, because you don’t have to hit the flop to win the hand. Since you’re at a big advantage, you can afford to be aggressive. Do everything you can to get as big a pot as you can. If you know that you’re at a table with a few aggressive players check or bet small to entice someone to reraise against you, and if you’re at a more passive table, force some action with some big betting. If there aren’t any overcards on the flop and there are no flush or straight possibilities, you probably still have the top hand. If it looks like your pair is holding up, keep betting and get as much money into the pot as you can.