[Harv72b]

The big difference between this hand and ones where you want to keep as many opponents as possible in the hand is that here, your hand can be drawn out on. Well, that and the fact that the pot is already big. This is not one of those cases where you flopped quads and it'll take a miracle of Biblical proportions for someone to outdraw you...another heart gives the A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] the win, the board pairing means you could be losing to what was then a set or two pair...you get the drift. Will the A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] fold before the river? Of course not, never--but an opponent will put in as many bets as you can force on him with it up until the river. A set? A set isn't folding regardless of action, and you have the added benefit that he'll probably make a crying call on the river UI (the A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] won't often, especially since he's already going to see your hand due to the all in player).

You can't protect your hand from anyone who could draw out on you, save two pair. But, same as if you catch a set on a 2-suited flop, you don't mind so much because you're still going to make money. You're the favorite. The key is to get as much money into the pot as possible when you are a considerable favorite, which you certainly are here (even the A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] only has 7 outs against you).

Put another way, if you'd flopped top set, you'd have raised, right? Even though you knew that someone might have flopped a flush, or might be drawing to one? And even though you knew that neither of these hands would ever fold? Look, nobody is going to believe you flopped a flush, any more than the guy holding aces ever believes you flopped a set. Least of all when you immediately raise a bettor on your right--mid hearts will call 2 because they reason that you wouldn't have raised unless you were trying to protect a more vulnerable hand (overpair, set, baby flush). Overpairs, from time to time even overcards, won't fold because they'll convince themselves that you're raising to isolate with a small overpair or flush draw or whatever. All of which I already said.

Not raising the flop here is a pretty significant mistake which will cost you bets in the long run. Your opponents can't make mistakes unless you give them the opportunity to (this also applies to raising preflop here, btw).