waw, it should be really frustratingI also had the royal color once over the years. I was playing poker, but I threw my pre-flop cards, because too many players went all in and I was not sure of the strength of my hand. I just wanted to play and I threw. Later, I realized that I could have a royal flush XD. Happens.
very good analysisI wouldn't simply check because a lot of players will sniff that out when you bet big on the turn. Instead I would bet a small to medium sized bet. In this situation you need to think, "How would I play if I had 2nd pair". The fact that an Ace and a flush possibility are on the board means a lot of players are going to be scared to play against a large bet. But simply checking the flop and then betting on the turn is just going to make people suspicious that you actually have a made hand. Also, it looks like you made it to the river without a showdown. When the 4th club came on the river just about everyone would shut down their calling range unless they had a monster flush themselves. So, to get river calls you would have needed to bet as though you were afraid of the flush yourself.
beautiful hand and followed by full and quint waw