All the advice so far given is sound and I'm not sure I have anything fresh to offer exept maybe this. Whenever you place a bet or call a raise, what your actually doing is making a futures investment. And when you descide to fold a hand, it's not because you've been raised, it's because you've made the determination, based on the table climate, that your hands future winning potential is no longer worth the risk. To make an intelligent assessment of your hands value you must determine what the table climate is. Just as the best place for a weather station is the top of a mountain, the best place to determine table climate is late position. Did everyone fold, call, raise. How many were in before you. These are important variables. The less action before you, the greater potential your hand has, even 72os (this doesn't mean you should play that hand). In early position you no longer have the advantage of holding the high ground and the future value of your hand must be determined by table history and your own health (relative stack size). Ordinarily, a raise from early position represents strength and if your healthy, you should step aside with your A,rag. You got a big sword with a dull blade and you don't want to do battle. If the raise comes from say Grumbledook, who has somehow managed to have the call button removed from his computer, then his raise represents nothing more than a call and should be seen as such. So, your to the right of the button, 'dook is in 1st position, he raises, of coarse, RammerJammer folds, Buckster Folds, now you. Four Dogs is to your left and you know he'll never hang around with with a called raise in front of him unless he's got a very special hand. Honest, he won't. A,7's not looking too bad. You call 'dookies raise, Four Dogs lays down his QJs, SB & BB fold and your heads up against one oponent. A,rag's lookin' good & 'Dookies wondering what you have.
I hope nobody really reads my shit.