You have to bet here. There are hands you'll have in your range which are worse and can check, hands like QT or JT. Trips is too strong and you'll called by worse here for sure. Don't fear the reaper... if you're scared, get a puppy.
Reasons to bet are against hands like AQ, AJ, QT, JT and J9 who have a gut shot.
Reasons to check are against hands like "better kings" AK (KT chops) or any made hand (straight, flush or full house).
So if you bet and are check raised, are you really drawing live? Would someone with AT check raise with a flush out there and a paired board?
That swings the pendulum back to betting since some weaker made hands won't check raise the turn and still makes the draws pay to hit their gut shot which could also be a gut shot with a flush draw (AhJs etc).
A final question is if a brick falls on the river, against how many callers on the turn will you still feel free to value bet the river?
And if you get raised, call sometimes, and 3! sometimes. And if the board pairs on the river, bet again!
You can’t be nuts-spooked in LHE. It will cripple you. Instead, you have to know that running into the nuts will happen... a LOT! But they will also run into your nuts a lot, and when you take the proper, aggro line in spots like these, you will max your EV for the several, various reasons stated above.
you are ahead here more than you think so bet. loose players will call this flop with all kinds of trash. no one thinks you have trips yet by your flop bet.
in limit if you have top pair or better the rule is to keep betting until someone tells you you are probably behind, then call down anyway.
