DECISION POINT: In a live $1-3 game, 5 players limp and you raise to $28 from the Big Blind. It folds around to the Button who calls. You bet trip Aces on a 4♥6♥A♣ flop and Villain calls. The turn comes 9♠ and action is on you. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: This specific hand (top set on an Ace rag rag board) eliminates so many of the hands that our opponent could hold that we want to get value from, primarily Ax hands.

That makes this hand a good one to include in our turn checking range and provides some protection to that range. Our checking range on the turn will include many pot control type hands (TT-KK), so having some nut hands in that range helps that range from being attacked too frequently. When we choose to check this turn with AA, we will typically check-call with it, matching how we would play a pot control type hand like A5s or KK.

Taking this line with top set contrasts with a hand like bottom or middle set which do not eliminate Ax hands from our opponent's range and benefit from betting more frequently.

Checking the turn is better than betting due to this card removal effect, but if we do bet, betting small is the only reasonable alternative line. Betting large on the turn would be a clear mistake.

Overall, checking the turn is the best play.