I had problems with poke for months, especially with old netcode. I just started to really pay attention how people use pokes and counterpoke. You need to be fast. If you are fighting someone who is using 2-3 pokes in a row, you will always get them by counter poking followed by a string. Example - Ermac's d3 in old netcode was a nightmare, now I just love playing against them as most of them are used to just mash pokes. If you have trouble with counterpokes or backdashing, crossover jump or armored attack is another option after blocked poke if you expect them to do it again.
In my opinion knowing when players tend to use pokes is key and block+counterpoke->string/throw works 9 out of 10 times for me, even against characters like Jason and his dumb d1.
Also knowing your own pokes is absolutely mandatory . Learn the animations and the frame data and you'll be fine in no time.