let me put this on the table, but you can’t raise me

[Coffee Break]

Hello everyone. I encountered this expression, "let me put this on the table, but you can’t raise me", but am struggling to understand it. Could you please let me know what it means in the following sentences:

[Clara speaking] “What, that being kind to people makes me want to hurt them? Or that hurting them makes me want to be kind?”
[The protagonist speaking] “Both. I won’t ask you why you’re telling me all this—”
[Clara speaking] She didn’t let me finish. “Perhaps my hell is having to say all and not knowing if I should be quiet instead, and yours, unless I’m all wrong, is to listen and not know whether I mean it.”
[The protagonist speaking]“Amphibalence?”
She looked at me with something like gratitude in her gaze.
[Clara speaking] “Amphibalence indeed. But let me put this on the table, but you can’t raise me, okay?”
So typical. I nodded.

- André Aciman, Eight White Nights, Fourth Night

This is a novel published in the United States of America in 2010. This novel is narrated by the nameless male protagonist. The protagonist meets Clara at a Christmas party in Manhattan. Three days after the party, the protagonist is talking with Clara.

Here, I wonder what the underlined expression means.
My wild guess is that, "let me put this on the table" might mean "let me bring this subject of conversation up", and "you can't raise me" might mean "you cannot urge me to bring up this subject", but this is just my wildest guess...

I would very much appreciate your help.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hello everyone. Unnecessary.

I encountered this expression, the sentence "... let me put this on the table, but you can’t raise me", but am struggling to understand it. Could you please let me know what it means? in the following sentences: Here is the relevant dialogue:

[Clara speaking] Clara: “What, that being kind to people makes me want to hurt them? Or that hurting them makes me want to be kind?”
[The protagonist speaking] Protagonist: “Both. I won’t ask you why you’re telling me all this—”
[Clara speaking] Clara: She didn’t let me finish. “Perhaps my hell is having to say all and not knowing if I should be quiet instead, and yours, unless I’m all wrong, is to listen and not know whether I mean it.”
[The protagonist speaking] Protagonist: “Amphibalence?”
She looked at me with something like gratitude in her gaze.
[Clara speaking] Clara: “Amphibalence indeed. But let me put this on the table, but you can’t raise me, okay?”
So typical. I nodded.

- André Aciman, Eight White Nights, Fourth Night

This is a novel published in the United States of America in 2010. This novel It is narrated by the a nameless male protagonist. The protagonist He meets Clara at a Christmas party in Manhattan. Three days after the party, the protagonist he is talking with Clara.

Here, I wonder what the underlined expression means.
My wild guess is that no comma here "let me put this on the table" might mean "let me bring this subject of conversation up", and "you can't raise me" might mean "you cannot urge me to bring up this subject". but this is just my wildest guess...

I would very much appreciate your help. Unnecessary.

It's an allusion to playing poker. In poker, you put chips onto the table to indicate your bet and another player can "raise you" - make a higher bet. I would take it to mean that she doesn't want him to say something more interesting (or similar) than her.

Please note my corrections above.

 

[Tarheel]

It's unclear to me what "but you can't raise me" means.

They seem to have a special language that's all their own.

Added: I got the poker reference. @emsr2d2 seems to have figured it out. (I'm not certain.) Do they play poker with each other?

 

[Coffee Break]

@emsr2d2 and @Tarheel,

Thank you very much for the explanations.
Oh, so it is an allusion to poker! I learned a new thing all thanks to you.
She is saying that, she is placing the bet onto the gaming table, but he cannot bet more than her. (meaning, "She is talking about something interesting, but he cannot say something more interesting than her story.")

Probably she is annoyed that the protagonist summed up her words with a single word "amphibalence" while she is explaining, so she wants to explain the full story without letting him saying anything more witty and interesting than her words.

So I guess this part might be paraphrased as:
But let me put this on the table, but you can’t raise me, okay?
= But let me explain this clearly, and you cannot say more witty than me until I finish my explanation, okay?

I guess then "raise" would have the 17-b meaning:

raise

Definition, Synonyms, Translations of raise by The Free Dictionary

www.thefreedictionary.com

17. Games
a. To increase (a poker bet).
b. To bet more than (a preceding bettor in poker).
c. To increase the bid of (one's bridge partner).

Do they play poker with each other?

No, I am afraid they are not playing poker. So it might be her own way to say, making an allusion to poker...

And thank you also for the corrections; I would keep that in mind and apply that in my next questions.

I sincerely appreciate your help.