[nicky g]

Jeez. All I was saying is that if this sequence keeps happening on the long run, you won't do that well out of it. If you're only going to get action here from someone with a better hand than trips, you're in the wrong game; you still have to make a post-flop profit with sets on scary boards to do well out of them. You're not sorry for the sarcasm or you wouldn't have written it. My point, exactly, is that if the best possible outcome of flopping a set is taking the pot down on the flop, then there's little point of drawing to a set, or indeed playing at all. Taking it down is better than getting called and losing, as I said. But I don't think, given the strength of your hand, it can be described as "good". Sorry if such a minor point is not worthy of your time.

Zag: obviously a check-raise would not make you happy; it'd give you tough decision. Clearly you would rather everyone folded than you got check-raised, unless you had reason to think you were still ahead (eg the check-raiser is a maniac). But like I say, if the opposition is such that you're only going to get any action here if you're losing, why play? If you can't make post-flop money here, when are you going to make it? When you flop trip aces over trip kings? Sitting around hoping for that kind of situation is just gambling.