[Buzz]

Bremen - Delaying initiating fresh money into the pot for one round with top flopped set is not unusual. The disadvantage from the small blind is you risk giving a free card. (You really don't want to see a non-pairing spade on the turn).

But you do disguise your flopped top set by delaying the raise. It looks a lot like you have aces over nines or a set of nines, rather than a set of aces.

And in this case you got two big bets on the turn from each opponent instead of two small bets on the flop.

Then when you bet the river, somebody who made aces over queens or a set of queens on the river will be more likely to bite.

Alas, in this particular case, you may have bet into a straight - but I like your bet on the river. Someone could have been playing for a gutshot, and in that case you get burned. But otherwise you have disguised your hand and have a better chance of collecting.

I would have simply bet the flop myself and hoped for a raise. and then I would have directly bet the turn and river. But in my humble opinion, the way you played it was fine too - maybe better since it was more deceptive than my own play would have been.

Looks like you had a bit of bad luck on the river. (Or maybe the raiser didn't have the straight, although probably he did - but of course you call just in case, especially because you've been deceptive in the way you've played the hand).

Buzz