hero just calls the flop. on the turn, the big blind may bet $18 into the $26 pot and on the river, he may be $32 into the $62 pot. that leaves a large amount of unused money in hero’s stack. if hero raises the flop to $20 and the big blind calls, he can then bet $40 on the turn and $100 on the river, getting much more money in the pot. of course, raising may result in everyone folding and hero winning a tiny pot, but that is the risk you have to take if you want to be able to play large pots with your best hands. 