Worth betting hard with top pair on flop?

Hey people, im pretty new to poker; but im just wondering whether it's worth betting hard on if you hit top pair (say the flop is a rainbow of 2,5,9 - and I had Q, 9).

Is it worth betting hard to try scare off anyone who might hit higher on the turn/river?

I've done it a few times and people have rarely called; but im playing pretty low limits so im wondering whether it's a fishy and could be taken taken advantage of by a better player?

Minbetting is for idiots that do not know how to bet hands.

But to answer your question, it depends on position/how things were played pre-flop. Personally, Unless I was in the blinds or in late position on a table full of passive players I wouldn't play Q9 pf.

yeah without a HH it's kinda hard to say...for the OP if I had that hand say in the BB and and saw the pot for free and there were 3 others in the pot I would check and see what the action is...if it goes check,check,bet by the button I might check raise him since it's a good shot he is just taking a stab at it...if you get any resistance you gotta slow down...or the other way is just betting out about 75 percent of the pot and see who comes along...like you said you are probably going to get a caller even if it's just a guy calling with a ace...Q9 is not really a hand to get all excited about either way...if a ace or king hits again you gotta slow down

if I was in early position I'd check it and see what the action is. there are still two cards to come after all. If I was on the button and it was checked around to me I'd bet 2/3 the pot or better depending on how loose the table is.

You should almost always bet this hand, whether you're in BB and it's a limped pot or whether you raised preflop. The reason being two-fold: you protect your hand, and you can get called by worse, such as random overcards, a 5, a weaker 9, some type of draw.
Taking the pot down right there is not a bad result at all.

I would bet the pot most of the time with that hand. Better to get a call then by someone chasing or you just take the pot down. Betting helps to find out where you are at with a hand like that.

Normally, I would muck a hand like Q9 but if I were in your position and I'm not sure how others are playing behind me, I would bet half the pot rather than check or betting the full pot.

The main reason I would say half the pot is because the bet pot button seems to be used a little too frequently and if you run into someone who's slow playing a set (e.g., trip deuces) then you won't be risking that much.

Like some others have said though, a lot depends on the situation you're in (e.g., what position you're in, how others are playing).

I would usually check to see the action in that scenario. flopping top pair with q9 isnt as strong as you think in a 3 way pot...of course it would depend on your position/table image and their position/table image.