Same decision, time and again

[Avarice]

Playing a mid-high limit game(10/20 - 20/40), this situation seems to come up about once or twice each session:

I raise in some position with high cards, and 2-4 other people take the flop with me. Flop gives me top pair, top kicker, and I bet the flop and 2-3 people call. Turn looks blankish, possibly putting an awkward straight on the board, and now I bet and get raised (possibly check-raised) by one of the players.

It is going to cost me 2 more big bets to see if I have the best hand. If I don't have the best hand, my outs on the river are 5, 3, or 0, with an average of 2.5. If I do have the best hand, my opponent likely has at least 5 outs.

There are roughly 10 big bets in the pot at this point. Assume I don't know anything about the raiser. What is the best play?

Folding TPTK to a single turn raise seems too weak, but I think I am being shown a better hand often enough to make calling down slightly unprofitable. Is there a better solution?

--Avarice

[sweetzer]

I think Sklansky was considering a tougher trickier game than most of today's 10-20, 20-40 games. The turn is where the truth usually comes out. It's painful to fold, but the great majority of the time an top pair top kicker or even an overpair is no good when checkraised on the turn, unless the raiser is skilled and tricky. I called a similiar check raise with AA this morning with a rag board and the usual occurred, someone had flopped a set of 44's. If there is no logical made draw or reasonable two pair, likely someone flopped a set.