Miss the Flop?

Hand 1

Hero in BB with Ad-Qd
Three limpers, hero raises
Everyone calls
Four players, 4 big bets
Flop 5h-7s-8s
Hero bets
UTG +2 calls, button calls
Three players, 6.5  big bets
Turn 9s
Hero checks, UTG +2 bets
Button folds, hero folds.

Hand 2

Hero in cutoff with Ac-Jd
Two limpers, hero raises
BB calls, limpers call
Four players, 4 big bets
Flop Kd-8s-5s
Checks to hero who bets
BB calls, lowjack calls
Three players, 6.5 big bets
Turn Qh
Checks to hero who bets
BB calls
Heads up, 8.5 big bets
River 2s
BB checks, hero checks
BB shows 6d-5c, hero mucks

Hand 3

(Kill is on, stakes at 8/16) Hero on the button with QQ
Three limpers, hero raises
UTG +1 (on the kill) calls, everyone else calls
Four players, 4  big bets
Flop K-K-K
Check to hero who bets
UTG +1 calls, everyone else folds
Heads up, 5 big bets
Turn 5d
Villain checks
Hero bets, villain calls
Heads up, 7 big bets
River 7h
Villain checks
Hero bets, villain calls
Hero shows full house, villain mucks

These hands are all from the same session, a live 4/8 fixed limit game at a local card room.  The progression of these hands shows the trouble my opponents have with my strategy of pressing thin equity but tempered with good board texture reading.  The c-bet on hand 1 was probably a little too loose, I'm out of position and the board is too coordinated.  The prospects of my hand winning unimproved are too slim and I have too little fold equity to justify putting any more money in the pot, especially with a field of three players to get through.  Still, I felt it was worth a one-time shot and when a bad card comes on the turn, it's time to give up.

Hand 2 is frustrating.  I've got position this time and I'm bitching to myself about why I can't hit one cotton pickin' flop!  I can represent the K and there is loose coordination around the 8-5 with two to a suit so the calls don't bother me.  There's a good chance my A is even ahead.  The Q is a good card for me to barrel at and gives me a draw to the nuts.  The call tells me I'm against one of the legion of opponents I face who will never fold any pair.  My A has showdown value and villain is not calling with anything that doesn't beat me when the brick comes on the river.  So, no sense in firing a third barrel.

Hand 3 is that classic problem of flopping a monster, and now how do I get paid?  So many of my opponents will check this flop either trying to be tricky or too timid, worried about the case K.  However, my play prior to this hand has set up getting paid off perfectly.  There is no way I'm going to be given credit for the K (rightly so) when it's clear my preflop raising range is much bigger than A-K+.  My opponent knows I'm perfectly capable of betting down A high because he's seen me do it.  In his mind he has to call down with any pair or even A high hoping to at least chop.

It seems maddening missing flop after flop but if I can keep my cool and think about the game on a larger level, I can still profit.  Only part of the value of c-betting and barreling comes from fold equity and drawing out in a specific hand.  The only way I can get my big hands paid off is when I can capitalize on my opponents mistaken notion that I'm a maniac.  If I can make good board texture specific decisions my opponents will find ways to screw up against me.