Here's a situation where this applies, but in a different way...

You have A J, both diamonds. Your opponent has Q Q. The pot is 150 to start (50/ 100 blinds), your opponent is in First Position pre-flop, and raises to 500. Since it is a full table, and the raise is from first position, when it comes around to you in the big blind (everyone folds, including the small blinds), you just call. The pot is now 1050

The flop comes Q 5 2, two diamonds. You check, and your opponent bets 300. Do you call?

The answer is yes. The odds against catching your flush are around 4 to 1 ( a little more), but your opponent is now offering you the shot at a pot of 1350 for 300, which is MORE than 4 to 1 pot odds. Now, sometimes the opponent will catch four of a kind, or a full house, but mostly when you catch your flush you will take the pot, and will win at least one more bet. So, it is an easy call.

This brings in the concept of hand protection. If you have top pair after the flop, and there are three players in the hand, it is likely you have the best hand, but if you check, people will draw out on you. Three hands drawing is two hands too many!!! So, you must bet a significant percentage of the pot (more than 3/4 of the current pot) in order to drive out the other players. In this case, perhaps an overbet of the pot is warranted, for instanct, if the pot is 1000, bet 1200-1400!! The idea is to deny the odds to the players involved.

You want to have a caller, but if you can take the hand down now, you've won a pot you could've lost later. Good players take advantage of that.

And if all three players call you, and one catches a straight, and the other one a flush??? Well, that's poker. You did your job, denying the proper odds, and they caught some luck. Cest la vie.

On a side note, the bigger the advantage, and less volatile the board, the less you can bet. For instance, a pot of 1200, and you have QQ, flop comes Q 7 2, with all three suits different. Check, or bet a small amount. You absolutely WANT callers here, because THEY DON"T HAVE THE ODDS ANYWAY.

Hope this helps,

-Zak