when someone bets on the flop...

[BoKoo]

i got this very big leak in my game where very often, when somebody bets on the flop, i think that they have the top pair or a hand better than mine...for instance, say that i was holding J9 and the flop was K J 5 , i would immediately assume he had top pair...sometimes when i get a read on the player i will call/raise but very often i play tight in these situations, i have this mentality which, i know, costs me alot in a cash game...is there any suggestions how i can improve this leak i have? thanks...

[NLSoldier]

Instead of thinking he has top pair think of ALL the hands he might bet on this flop. I think his range could include: a king, a jack, a 5, QT, a pocket pair 66 or above, AQ, AT, flush draw (if there is one possible), and a total bluff.

Alot can depend on the texture of the flop, someone betting out on a Q23r flop is quite a bit more likely to have top pair than someone who bets out on a QT9 twotone flop.