I need some help

[mudsliptones]

I have allot of ups and downs in poker and want to get rid of it. The main reason for my downs is that I have decent preflop hands but flop air.
Like I have AKs
flop
6 8 10
and first to act bets half the pot or more. I mostly fold here, I know, if people notice they gonna keep betting into me, but what am I gonna do, flopping air....
So I need advice...

I sometimes raise here and take down a pot, but mostly player has hit the straight or a set... (my luck I guess)

[JDRock]

I suppose this is obvious, but I'll say it anyway. Ups and downs in your bankroll can't be attributed to folding too much.

It sounds like your starting hand selection is decent as well.

All I can really do with the amount of information provided is shoot at common problems that it could be.

1) Being too attached to your starting hole cards. Tight players very commonly have a problem with this. The reason is that when you wait 10 hands for your spot, you're pretty hesitant to lay it down to wait for another. This is dangerous. Keep in mind that even with AK, you're still only about a 65% favorite vs. the worst hand in poker. That 65% of the time, you need to extract value, but the real skill in poker comes from knowing when you're in the 35% of hands that you're losing. You need to know when to make the lay down, at that goes with any hand - even Aces up.

2) Picking the wrong spot to be aggressive.
It's hard to play out of position. And when you don't have a made hand, even if it is AK, then you're playing your position and not your cards. Given that, it doesn't make any sense to let your cards dictate when you're aggressive. In the flop above, you should pay attention to how your opponent bet pre-flop, if he raised, what position he was in, etc. Also, if he's first to act after the flop, be prepared to either fold or raise depending on how your opponent has reacted, not on whether you hit anything on the flop.

3) Misunderstanding your hand's strength.
This is actually the most easily fixed, and so I think it's the most unlikely to be afflicting you. Say you've got K-10. You'd much rather see a flop of 10-7-3 than K-9-4. I would even rather even see Q-J-2 than anything with a King in it. Not that it's a better hand, but that it's easier to know. Kickers make more difference than I ever thought when I first started playing. Don't trap yourself into thinking you've got the best hand just because you have top pair.

4) Failing to notice the texture of the board
Basic stuff. Betting against a double gut-shot straight on the board is fine. Give it more consideration, however, when faced with 3 connected cards. Same thing with flushes. Check-betting 3 to a flush is fine, maybe even suggested, but if your opponent was timid before the card hits and then he turns into a frenzy, you need to consider it. Lots of players bluff at spots like that, so resign yourself to the necessity of risk taking.

[Jauron]

This is where history helps, does he lead often, does he seems to lead vs you often? Have you been folding to lead out bets from other players? Is the player tight/loose weak/aggressive normally? Does he slow play a lot? Is he a calling station?

It really depends...