[Octopus]

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Could someone clarify why we're raising the flop?
I think I know why, just want to make sure.

Also, do we still raise if it was heads up on the flop?

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Because the idea of calling first to act after a flop bettor with people left behind me to act in a (re-)raised pot makes my skin crawl. (Not that it is never correct, but here it is not. We are not folding, so raising is the best play.)

A more complete answer is, we would like that cold calling big blind to pay big time. If he has a middle pocket pair, we want him gone. If he has A5, we definitely want him gone. Even if all he has is a weak draw or he missed the flop entirely, we want him gone. (He would have 6-10 outs or more against us and would be right to call the raise.) As for MP3, we are mainly worried about AJ from him. More likely is AQ or KQ or something like that. (AA, KK, QQ and even AK are likely to have capped it pre-flop.) All that, plus we might get a free card on the turn if we want it.