One of the most frequent mistakes made by beginners and recreational players when playing online poker tournaments is playing weak hands out of position.
Hands like AQ, AJ, KQ and KJ are at the top of the list of cards that cause major disasters when played badly by entry-level players. To take your game to the next level, you should rethink before playing these hands.
Understand the problem of marginal hands
At a full table (full ring - 9 players), when a tight player (a player who plays few hands - usually with strong cards) raises from early position, you should fold these hands without hesitation. The range of hands that this player raises in this position will destroy the hands we mentioned earlier (such as AJ and KJ), and you'll almost always be in trouble. In this situation, as you may have heard, "you'll win a small pot, or you'll lose a big pot", so there's not much advantage, right?
In another scenario, some players who have become accustomed to this idea have started practicing open limping, just calling the bet with these types of hands hoping to play a small pot when they hit a good flop, such as two pair or top pair with top kicker (TPTK). The problem is that when you go all in, you won't be able to gauge the strength of your opponent's hand, and you'll often be faced with a set (a well-disguised three of a kind).
But don't be discouraged, these hands can and should be played, but they will only be profitable if played correctly. These hands are designed to win small and medium-sized pots, or, if the game is shortstack, then it's worth putting all your chips in play. You need to think about the range of hands your opponent might have. If this player plays stronger cards than you, when you raise you'll probably be losing to a pair with a higher kicker or even two pair. Be aware.
When you're a beginner, it may seem difficult to give up a "strong" hand like top pair with top kicker. But if you want to progress in the game, you should at least imagine what cards your opponent is playing, so that you know the exact strength of your hand at the right time. If you're playing against a weak or bad player, your top pair with top kicker will usually be the best hand and you'll be able to bet all your chips without too much worry.
When you find yourself in a situation against a good player, and they are calling your bets, your best option is to stop for a moment and think, think calmly. If they're calling with better cards than you, then don't make it easy for them, don't give away all your chips. Average hands are made for average pots.
Article translated and adapted from: Why You Shouldn't Play Marginal Hands
English 
Português do Brasil 
An enlightening article. It helped me a lot!
"Average hands are made for average pots." Excellent quote!
article opened my mind more. Thank you