Here's a quick tip everyone will violate on occasion: don't overplay top pair in no-limit hold'em.
Why is such a simple rule so hard to follow? The problem is that top pair, top kicker is certainly a strong enough hand to bet with in almost any situation where your opponent hasn't shown you any aggression. And against weak opponents, value betting again and again with top pair is a good way to milk money out of players who will call with any part of the board. But stronger opponents can take advantage of such tactics, trapping you and extracting large bets from your "big" hand.
The key is to play top pair as a vulnerable hand that is likely to be best. You should definitely value bet with top pair until you're given a reason not to. However, you may want to structure these bets in such a way that the pot stays relatively small; if given the opportunity, you may even wish to check behind on the river if you've been called on both the flop and the turn. Against tricky opponents who like to bluff, you can try checking back the turn and then calling a river bet, hoping to induce a bluff.
The key is to remember that top pair is an excellent hand in small pots -- but a terrible hand (in most cases) with which to play for all your chips in a deep stack situation. If you've shown aggression on a couple streets and then get raised by an opponent, chances are that you're not going to have the best hand.
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