Pocket pairs are one the best hands you can get in Texas Holdem, but they can also cause you to lose a lot of chips. I personally don't even play some pocket pairs online anymore due to the amount of times they get beaten. Anything under pocket eights is risky and you should express serious concern when playing hands with pocket pairs which are lower.
If you're in an early position pre-flop you'll want to throw in a small raise, this is to show some strength and also to get all the mediocre hands to fold. You don't want many other players in the pot when you have low pockets pairs. If you have high pocket pairs then of course you'll want to slow play them a bit more, but you should also throw in a small raise still to get the pot higher and also to get the hands out that shouldn't be in there. If you allow people to see the flop for cheap then you're allowing them to outdraw you and therefore beat you.
Once the flop hits the board you'll need to check out if there are any flushes, straights or trips. If there is any of the above then you need to be careful betting your pocket pair. If there aren't any of those hands out there yet and your pair is higher then the cards on board then you can almost be certain you're in the lead at this point. Whether you believe you're in the lead or not though you should always come out with a bet to show strength still. You might take down the pot at this point as most players will fold, but if you're called or raised then you need to start thinking what beats you because they most likely have something.
If you're a low stack at the table and looking to double up on your pocket pairs then I would advise you to throw all strategy out the window and either put your chips in pre-flop or immediately after the flop. You'll either take down the pot, and increase your chips a bit or you'll get a caller and have a chance at doubling up. Low pocket pairs are favourites against two over cards, but from my experience they don't always hold up online so be careful with these. Pocket pairs can make or break your bankroll so make sure you're prepared for either or to happen so that you're not shocked when it does. You'll experience both over the course of your poker career and you need to be able to handle both the wins and losses.
I find I play pocket pairs differently as well depending on whether I'm playing a sit and go tournament or cash table game. If I'm playing a sit and go then I will fold low pockets most times simply because the goal is to finish in the top three and I don't waste many chips unless I have an excellent hand. When I'm playing on a cash table I play my pockets a lot stronger due to its less likely people will call, and you need to make some risks in cash table games in order to win money.
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