[Harv72b]

If he did indeed have AA, then take some consolation in the fact that he missed at least a half dozen bets in this pot. Hell, you would have had odds to draw to a 2-outer if he'd just bet the friggin' flop. OTOH, if he didn't have aces, you probably missed 1 bet with the line he took. I'd say you made out pretty well in that exchange.

As far as betting the flop, I think this is a better strategy if Hero has a hand that might be worth showing down UI vs. the capper. I.E., something like AQ. As it stands, when the ace flops Hero is behind CO the vast majority of the time, and with the draw & potential that Hero is betting scare cards with exactly what he has (an underpair) it's pretty unlikely that CO folds a hand like KK or QQ. With Hero almost certainly drawing (and having the pot odds to do so), it makes more sense not to knock out the opposition, especially since Hero's 2-outer would negate the flush draw.