[cwl]

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Check-raising lets you know for sure if you have the best hand or not. If you are called or reraised, you are done with the hand.

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it also costs you more money and shuts out virtually all the hands you want to play against that are drawing at very few outs. i think the relevant question to be asking is how likely the opponent is to bet a worse hand on the turn after you call the flop. if he is likely to fire again with a worse hand then there is money to be made calling the turn. if he is not then you can get away from the hand more cheaply by folding to a turn bet. raising is just a way of avoiding a tricky decision.