Tournament Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Practice Matters
Calling is preferable over check-raising
Calling is preferable over check-raising because unless you're in a leveling war with your opponent, there are not a lot of hands in our range we'd want to check-raise on this kind of texture. Calling also ensures that you at least see the next card, and won't get blown off your hand with a re-raise in case your opponent does have a big hand.
You also allow for more options
You also allow for more options to check-raise the turn if the turn doesn't supply a helpful card, and it adds a more credible story to you having a strong hand. Depending on the stakes you play of course, how hand strength is perceived to a turn check-raise will vary. For the most part at micro and small stakes games it will be perceived very strongly. Your range won't be weighted very much at all to having check / called the flop with a gutshot.