T9o flops top pair.. Did I play this incorrectly?

[godduo]

My first hand tonight after sitting down at Pacific .05 / .10. I've only seen one player before(villain) and my read on him is Loose / Passive. Sorry for not having a hand history I haven't been able to get one from Pacific in some time so I'm going from memory here.

After posting the blind I'm dealt T9o. There are no pre-flop raises so I check and see the flop. It comes 952 rainbow giving me top pair with a poor kicker. I lead out to see where I stand. Several players fold, villain in late position hesitates, then calls and we are heads up. At this point I put him on some type of draw, either an overcard or straight draw. The turn is a Q. I again lead out and am immediately called. I suspect a slow play at this point but I have trouble recognizing those too. The river is a 4. Fearing a raise if he hit his overcard or gutshot I check, he bets, and I call. Final pot was 9BB.

Should I bet the flop here? Do I slow down when the overcard comes or fold to the river bet? I seem to find myself in similar situations (top pair / weak kicker) quite often when playing from the BB and while I think I'm making huge mistakes I'm not sure the correct way to proceed. Any advice would certainly be appreciated.

[Greg J]

Don't read too much into "tells" like hesitations or immediate calls. It could be that villian is thinking about what to do... or it could be that he was yelling at his wife or something the first time. Who knows.

I generally bet this river, as you should against most opponents. There is a good chance he is calling down with middle pair. He might have hit his gutshot... them's the breaks. On this flop you should usually bet until he fights back.

[jar]

I value bet this river. If he outdrew you, he outdrew you. You'll get a call from a worse hand >50% of the time.

[rmarotti]

Bet this river for value.