AQ and the pot gets huge

[Aaron W.]

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Why not raise the flop for both protection and to see where we stand against the pf 3-bettor?

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If you raise the flop, gutshots still have proper odds to draw out on you. There are basically no hands that the 3-bettor could have that won't be correct in peeling the flop for two bets, so I don't know if you will 'see' where you stand when he cold-calls.

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The hand may have played out differently. Considering how big the pot already is on the flop, I'd want to anything within my power to maximize my chances to win it.

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Considering the size of the pot on the flop, I think you would do better waiting until the turn. Raising immediately on the flop is rarely a large mistake, and I don't think it would be one here, but this looks like a candidate for waiting an extra street because your hand is quite vulnerable and you would be much happier putting in bets with only three broadway on the turn instead of four.