Played correctly?

[dmoney]

NO idea how to use a converter so here it is from history

Seat 2: sativahh ($10.55 in chips)
Seat 3: qucalme ($35.05 in chips)
Seat 4: rushonze ($36.20 in chips)
Seat 5: m0rr1s [AS,JC] ($46.20 in chips)
Seat 6: Gangstamum ($23.10 in chips)
Seat 7: AlxStevens ($20.30 in chips)
Seat 8: cjworks.com ($105.70 in chips)
Seat 9: __blowfly__ ($28.25 in chips)
Seat 10: dylance ($23.25 in chips)



ANTES/BLINDS
__blowfly__ posts blind ($0.25), dylance posts blind ($0.50).

PRE-FLOP
sativahh folds, qucalme folds, rushonze folds, m0rr1s calls $0.50, Gangstamum folds, AlxStevens folds, cjworks.com folds, __blowfly__ calls $0.25, dylance checks.

FLOP [board cards 9C,10S,7C ]
__blowfly__ checks, dylance bets $0.50, m0rr1s bets $1, __blowfly__ folds, dylance calls $0.50.

TURN [board cards 9C,10S,7C,4H ]
dylance checks, m0rr1s checks.

RIVER [board cards 9C,10S,7C,4H,JH ]
dylance bets $1, m0rr1s bets $2, dylance calls $1.

SHOWDOWN
m0rr1s shows [ AS,JC ]
dylance mucks cards [ QH,JS ]
m0rr1s wins $7.


Should I have bet the turn with a gut shot and 2 over cards? Or go for the free card?

SUMMARY
Dealer: cjworks.com
Pot: $7.50, (including rake: $0.50)
sativahh, loses $0
qucalme, loses $0
rushonze, loses $0
m0rr1s, bets $3.50, collects $7, net $3.50
Gangstamum, loses $0
AlxStevens, loses $0
cjworks.com, loses $0
__blowfly__, loses $0.50
dylance, loses $3.50

[mosta]

raise preflop. the main reason to raise the flop is to take
the free card on the turn if you don't improve. which is
what you did. good river raise. calling on the flop and
finding a fold on the turn is not unreasonable, even
though here you had the better hand. largely the reason
you could have ended up in that spot is because you
didn't raise preflop--which is mandatory.

[dmoney]

Well one of the reasons I didnt raise here was because I may not have the best hand (although MOST ppl raise with ace anything at this low level sometimes people just don't know enough to raise with their ace queens and ace kings. So i wanted to see a flop. In my mind there are 2 reasons to raise preflop. 1) To knock ppl out with mediocre hands and 2) to build a pot. AJ, isn’t a great hand in a multiway pot and seeing as how at this level .50 will not knock anyone off their hand (especially since ppl already have money in and we all know ppl that have already called will almost never fold to a raise in limit) so I figured id see the flop and go from there. In this specific situation I think the call preflop works better because 1) if I raise he either puts me on 2 over cards or an over pair. So I figure the pot will either be stolen from me with 2 overcards because when the lower cards hit the flop hes pretty sure I didn’t hit my hand or if he puts me on an over pair I get no more action and he folds. Just a thought.

[mosta]

two reasons to raise preflop: to get called by worse hands; to set up taking the pot without showdown. (my first reason is not exactly the same as your second reason.)