[Nick C]

Hand 1: I don't think there's anything terribly wrong with what you did, but the other two main options are: (1) 3-bet preflop and go from there, and (2) As played, bet the turn and see what Villain does.

#1 has its risks (it's not going to be a small pot anymore, although on the other hand you might take it down immediately). And for #2, if Villain called the turn, I would basically give up, unless I spiked an A or Q, in which case I would probably check and call, unless Villain bet huge after my check, in which case I would likely fold.

If you bet the turn and Villain immediately raises, then he probably had a set or AK. (And, given the popularity of the preflop-raise/flop-check-upon-catching play, this turn raise won't be so rare as one might expect.)

Hand 2: Yeah, fine. I would actually consider folding preflop in this one.

Hand 3: Seems fine. The landscape seems to me to be changing a bit, but all the same preflop 3-bets from unknowns do tend to mean very strong hands. And even if this Villain has a wider range, we don't know that, and what's frequently going to happen when we miss is that we'll check, Villain will bet his A9o or whatever that also missed, and he'll take the pot.

Hand 4: Perfect. What a "tricky" Villain [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img].