The hand that inspired yet another blog

I read a lot of other people's blogs, and I've considered making one from time to time. Well I played this poker hand yesterday and it inspired me to create one. I was playing two tables and also watching Live at the Bike when this hand happened:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (7 handed) MP2 ($45.95) CO ($98) Button ($106) Hero ($189.25) BB ($50.25) UTG ($57.75) MP1 ($27) Preflop: Hero is SB with 5d, 5h. UTG calls $1, 1 fold, MP2 calls $1, 2 folds, Hero completes, BB checks.

Ok 2 people limped, I'll complete and try to hit a set in a 4 way pot.

Flop: ($4) 7h, Kh, 9h (4 players) Hero checks, BB checks, UTG checks, MP2 checks.

whiff!

Turn: ($4) 8h (4 players) Hero checks, BB checks, UTG checks, MP2 checks.

yawn

River: ($4) 6h (4 players) Hero checks

I had already written the hand off, and as I checked I wondered if it would be a chop pot or if someone had slowplayed the Ah on the turn... Suddenly I realized hey, 6-7-8-9, plus my 5.... booyah!

BB checks, UTG checks, MP2 bets $10, Hero raises to $25, BB folds, UTG folds, MP2 calls $15. Final Pot: $54

MP2 did have the Ace of Hearts and I took the pot with the idiots end of a straight flush. Afterwards, I thought there were some interesting things happening on the river. When the board is 4 to a flush, I would probably never check-raise the 2nd best flush card on the river, you're typically only getting called by the nut flush. Yet that's essentially what I did, because anyone with the ten of hearts had me beat. Of course it's much more likely that the Ace is out there than the Ten because people play aces more than tens. I guess another big factor is that it feels dirty to not raise a straight flush!