[bobhalford]

Yeah I don't think a situation like this HU with a monotone A - high flop is something that is helped all that much with a read. If it was a very loose aggressive player you may want to go to war with this hand, but against other players, especailly passive ones, you won't know all that much about his hand because a bet on the flop could mean several things. If he sees hero as a TAG, this won't help him out either in understanding hero's flop check.

I like the flop check for the reasons mentioned - that only hands that beat you put money into the pot, so better to see a turn card. But I like to bet while the betting is good - on the flop for value with a strong hand. The passive may not bluff the turn with QQ/JJ if he doesn't have a heart, but may call the flop hoping that you are on a heart draw and not the Ace. The passive may not call a turn bet without the Ace if you check the flop, so really all you are hoping for is to be bet into on the turn with a worse hand. The passive will be afraid you have the A or flush, so this is unlikely.