Quote Originally Posted by okietalker
You have the deck crippled on the flop. You have to check and pray someone has the JJ like I did that one time. But I digress. You can not expect a caller on that flop. Just check and hope.
I disagree with that. Not that checking isn't the smart move, because it definitely can be, but at a lot of tables you will get calls with up to a pot-sized bet on that flop. Anyone holding any of these might very well call you (in approximate order of the likelihood of getting called or raised):

- pocket jacks (full house)
- pocket pair, queens through aces (two pair with an overpair in the pocket, and a draw to the nut boat)
- gapped cards, T/Q or 8/T (open-ended straight draw)
- jack/other face card (two pair good kicker, and a draw to the nut boat)
- any pocket pair lower than jacks (two pair with a draw to a surprise boat)
- connectors Q/K or K/A (gutshot straight draw with Q/K... nothing really with K/A, but most people overvalue big slick and will call too long with it)
- gapped cards, Q/A (just two overs, though it looks like a straight draw if you don't think about it much)
- connectors, 7/8 (gutshot low-end straight draw)

There are a lot of hands that give opponents reasons to call you, and a lot that don't but that they think do. In other words, don't assume you have cornered the market on decent hands. In short-handed play (four or less) you probably have no reason to bet this flop, because it's very unlikely anyone made a hand; but at a full table with several other people seeing the flop, I think it's appropriate to bet pot-size or less and expect at least one call, maybe more.

I think it's a mistake to assume that if there's a pair on the board, only people with the trips will call a bet. Yeah, you have both of the nines, but you will definitely get some calls (at least on the flop) from people with draws and other miscellaneous two pair-type hands. The dream situation is if you get called, then someone hits their draw on the turn and you check to them. That's just begging for a huge bet back at you, which can only end well for your quad-nines. The main thing is not to freak out over your good luck and spend ten seconds figuring out how to extract the cash from this great hand. Whatever you do, play in your normal style: confidently, quickly. Check quickly or bet quickly. I usually have in my mind what I am going to do (based on my position and fellow players) what I will do on this hand, if I flop a monster. I want to have the decision made before it happens.