Excellent thread. One of the best I've seen in the two years I've posted on the forums (not reflected in my member date since I just changed my name).

I have little to add, except to articulate one idea more clearly (perhaps) than it has been, although it's certainly implicit in many of the things that have already been said. That is, that by c/ring the flop and driving out opponents -- and I do think there's a good chance of driving out 1, 2, or even all 3 opponents(note description of the flop bettor) -- the hand becomes much easier to play on later streets. With 3 or 4 opponents, half the deck are scare cards. If one of those hits, the hand becomes very hard to play, particularly OOP. Of course, this value depends, like much of the rest of the points made in the debate, on how successful a flop c/r will be in thinning the field.