Hammond Horseshoe NL 1/2 game
Hero is in SB with A5
Hero is doing pretty well about 3 hours in with $390 stack (in for 200)
UTG is a 45 yo BG with tons of gamble. Maybe a VPIP of 70. He's into the game for 800. Stack size is 110 or so. He calls for 2.
UTG+1 calls for 2. He's a 55 yo WG with some gamble. He knows all the regs but doesn't seem to know who is a nit. I saw him once call 300 preflop with AK against a rock who would never reraise without KK or AA. He's got $100 and just sat down.
Hero calls in SB.
BB calls for 2. He's a 65 yo BG retiree. I have played with him a few times. I thought he was a careful rock. Someone told me that wasn't true, and tonight he's gambling big time with UTG. His VPIP is 50 tonight. Stack size 300 or so.
FLOP 8 dollars
AA 3
Hero checks. Why? Not sure. Should I have led out here?
BB checks.
UTG checks.
UTG+1 bets $12.
Everyone calls.
Pot $56
Turn 6
Hero checks
BB bets 12
UTG calls, UTG+1 folds, hero calls
Pot $92
At this point I think I have the best hand as the sizing is so small.
River 9
Hero?????????????????
Time to bet right?
Fold to a reraise??????

Definitely don't lead.

Call the bet.

Turn, good call.

I check river again. Probably to fold. Leading tiny to block bet is okay. Don't put more than 50 more into the pot.

Definitely not betting river. What are you trying to get value from? With two players putting money in the pot on flop and turn on a board like this, it's very likely that one of them has an ace or better, and even if they don't they're not calling if you suddenly wake up and lead the river. You split with A4 and A2 and lose to every other ace. Fold to most bets OTR.

I think my problem here was that the flop bet was the same size as the turn bet which made me think the other two guys may not have had an ace. I thought they may have been calling with small pocket pairs or 5s, 8s, 7s.

It doesn't matter if they do, because there's a) no chance they will bet river into two players and b) no chance they will call if you bet. So check and usually fold is the play even if you think those hands are in their ranges they get to the river with.

You know this hand amazed me, I put out a blocking bet of $35 on the river and they both called.

One turned over 6s full of aces for the winning boat
and the other guy beat me with AJ.
Trips no good!

Hey, i guess i lost the minimum there.

Well not really Losing the minimum would be check folding the river.

FWIW when I say "check and usually fold" I mean I'm not folding if they bet another $12, but I might for $25. I am definitely folding for 1/3 pot or more.

I guess a general lesson here as well is that people play like weirdos with strong hands. They tend to protect their hands on wet boards, but on dry boards you can pretty much never rule out a really strong hand on the basis of how they play the flop or turn, because people do some strange stuff.

Yeah you're right. I think i need to change my thinking from call 1/2 or worse on the river in these situations to call 1/3 or worse. Technically folding would have been losing the minimum lol. Correct.

Unless there's some info OP's not telling us, it would seem that a bet will:

Only get called by better hands, fold out hands we beat and on occasion cause us to get bluffed off the best hand.

Just check and give one of the gambol players a chance to try and bluff with air. If it checks through, we were probably not going to make more money in any case.

You could consider sometimes value-betting with AT+, hoping to get called by a weaker ace.

Fwiw, I'm planning to check/call a bet of up to 70 from one of the two bluffy guys. If the BB leads for more than 30, I let it go.

trying to catch a bluff with that board and 4 players to the flop isnt going to work.
best to raise on the flop and try to gamble with the loose player. and after the tight player comes just try to fill or fold.