[W. Deranged]

I don't necessarily disagree with checking the flop, as it is somewhat likely that your opponents have not hit anything here (you are really hoping for a T to make itself known) and on this flop without any indication of future action based on pre-flop bets betting can cause some bad stuff to happen.

In fact, I think one of the values of checking this flop is that it will allow you to play the later streets much better. For example, if you check and it gets bet and raised from an early position, you might be able to set up a monster turn check-raise. Checking also allows you to make an excellent trapping check-raise on the flop if the situation sets up right.

Or, as here, the late position bet allows you to set up a turn bet and hopefully a raise from later position.

So you should bet the turn. Check-calling the flop in my opinion is fine, and is definitely better than a check-raise once the bet comes from late position. Not betting here is actually not a huge mistake in my opinion because you often can get good flop action anyway if someone bets and since there are so few cards your opponents could have allowing then to catch a good turn card is often good. (That would be more in effect if the board were less connected, but it still applies. Notice that this is very different from a situation where, say, the flop was 9TT and you want to bet because you know you'll get monster action from trips).

I once had a discussion with a guy (who later showed up on one of the main event TV tables on this year's World Series) at the Borgata 20/40 who claimed that "all your top limit hold'em pros will tell you the only way to play quads is to check and call all the way to the river." I told him he was full of [censored].

About an hour later I flopped quad 55s on a hand he had raised pre-flop and check-raised the flop...