Raising Pre-flop out of position

[HopeydaFish]

This is one of the major leaks in my game, and it's something that is embarassing to admit because I feel that it is something "basic" that I shouldn't be having trouble with, but it is something that I've never quite been able to get a handle on.

What eventually happens to me in any ring game is that I'll be dealt a strong hand in the SB such as AKs-ATs, or AQ, or AJ. It'll be folded around to me, so I'll raise to steal the BB. The BB then cold-calls me.

Let's pretend I have A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. The flop is 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I didn't hit anything on the flop and the best draw I'll have is a two-outer. I'll bet, hoping that the BB hasn't hit either and will fold to my aggression.

Well, what seems to happen in every game is that I encounter someone who feels that "protecting the blinds" is of ultra importance, and will raise me.

My thought process at this point is:

1) Did he call my pre-flop raise with a garbage hand (all in the name of protecting the blind, of course) and lucked into a pair on the flop?

2) Is he in the same boat as me, with two overcards, and is hoping to bluff me?

3) Did he cold call my pre-flop raise with a strong hand (like KK, QQ, JJ) and is now making me pay for it by raising me after the flop?

4) Does he have absolutely nothing and is hoping to bluff me out of the pot (again, in the name of "protecting the blind")?

5) Does he have a low pocket pair, didn't make his set, but is hoping that I raised with AQ, AK, etc... and figures that I haven't hit anything because of the crappy board?

I sometimes re-raise him and see what he does (which is generally what I do if the board isn't too scary, and sometimes they fold to my aggression), but a lot of these "protect the blinds" types will re-raise with low pair (or less) and call me to the river. There's nothing worse than spewing a bunch of chips with a hand like AKs, only to lose to someone who called you with 27o, but who started betting like a maniac when he made a pair of 2's on the flop.

The problem I have is that I look at my "strong" hand and know that it was probably the best hand pre-flop. However, my opponent is now representing a strong hand by raising me. However, my opponent might also be bluffing -- and probably *is* if I've stolen his blind two or three times previously and might be hoping to make a stand with a weak hand in order to get me to lay off.

What happens even more is that I'll re-raise him after the flop, and he'll call. The turn comes and doesn't help me. What do I do now? Do I bet again? If I don't bet, he'll most certainly bet because he has position and will sense weakness. If I do bet, he'll most likely call me as he represented some sort of made hand on the flop and he's hoping it'll stand up. His call is probably another BB down the drain for me unless I get lucky on the river. If I bet and he raises (and I have no draw available), I'd fold -- that's about the only part of this that is fairly clear to me.

I feel that if I fold after the flop, I'm encouraging him to play back at me aggressively in future -- because he'll think that this sort of thing will "work" on me. However, I don't want to spew all sorts of chips in order to preserve my table image.

Any tips or guidelines on how you play in these situations?