Standard problem....

[mishafp]

so you are heads up with a hand like AK in late position- make your standard raise- you get one caller. The flop misses- check to you. I know this might be stupid- but do you bet out every single time the board isnt looking very very dangerous? With no read, and no particular danger on the board, how do you decide if you should make the standard 3/4 the pot bet?

[spahk]

bet all non-scary boards. assuming you each have a reasonable ammount behind, expect them to fold.

[theredpill5]

I disagree with previous poster. It depends 1) what limit you are playing 2) how many called your preflop raise

.25/.50 NL or below, many players will call if they hit anything, even bottom pair. Also, if you got 4 players who called your preflop raise, that is a lot of hands to dodge.

I actually think in low stakes NL you earn more money by checking a flop with AK high when you miss against 3 or more players. I basically played this way at Party Poker recently and made 40 BB/100 so don't tell me I'm crazy. However, you don't want to become too predictable with this.

[kurto]

Bet. If someone calls, then you can slowdown. 1/3 of the time, both players will miss the flop. In which case you still likely have the best hand.

Most players who have nothing and no real draws will (correctly) fold.

If they call, you can then check the turn unless you hit.

If you bet you have a chance of winning. If you check, on the river, a player will bet, then you have to decide if its a bluff. It's always better to put them to a decision then you.

This is only for the situation you described. If you are in early position and have 3 callers after you, you should check a lot of the time. Someone is likely to have hit something.