Betting for protection
 

Betting for protection

The merits of valuebets are protecting the pot AND making money when called by worse hands. I often find myself
in spots where I have a weak madehand, which is a favourite over the opponents ranges, but I am not able to make a valuebet.

I want opponents to fold or draw incorrectly (lack of pot+implied odds), assuming opponent never draws, betting is turning your hand into a bluff: better hands never fold, worse hands never call. It however protects and wins you the pot immediately. The problem occurs when I am called and want to showdown, then opponent bets and It feels like I've thrown my earlier bet out the window.

Should I be making this play 'just to protect the pot'?

examples:

Hand 1: mid/bottom pair limped pot, often from the blinds

Folds around to the SB who completes. I check T2 in BB.
Flop comes Q52r.
SB checks, do I bet?

Hand 2: pair with one overcard and draw:

I open in MP with TT, 3 people call.
Flop comes Qh 8h 2x. I bet and one opponent in position calls.
Turn Q: Do I now bet? I doubt any worse hands call a decent bet, however against his range of pairs, Qx and flushdraws I fare pretty good.
My alternatives are 1) checking and giving him a free card, if turn goes check/check, I might have a hard river decision with high probability of being bluffed off the best hand or being a payoff wizard. If he bets turn, I could fold the possibly best hand, or call, and possibly check/fold river which seems like a spew.
2) I bet to 'protect my hand', but gain no value besides what is already in the pot.

Confused with this protection concept....