This is one of those situations where you don't ALWAYS play it the same way, but I do typically like making the small bet on the river. You probably have the best hand, so it's a value bet. Also, if he has a hand that beats you (like two pair or a baby flush), I think he's more likely to just call your bet here than he is to raise you with something less than the nuts. So YOU get to decide the amount you are willing to invest on the river, instead of checking and letting him decide. In other words, if you are willing to call $18 on the end, why not go ahead and bet it yourself? There is a small chance he will fold a better hand than yours, but more importantly, it's a deterrant. You're not showing weakness, which he may pounce on with a hand WORSE than yours, forcing you to fold the winner. And there are a number of hands here worse than yours that will pay you off.
I like making a smallish bet on the end sometimes... in NL. In limit, I check and call this 100% of the time.
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