How do I protect my hand?

[jjshabado]

Here's a hand I played last night at the Taj 3/6 game.

I'm in the BB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

General Game Overview:
- Lots of bad players (Surprise!), the bad players have been getting lucky and a couple of the better players are frustrated. Not me though at this point because I'm still up.
- Surprisingly aggressive, but super loose.
- <font color="green"> MP (2nd player to my left) is very solid (for 3/6). </font>
- The <font color="blue"> Button has been raising/reraising with not much in terms of a hand. He's just gambling preflop, not really playing poker.</font>
- <font color="orange"> The two guys to the right of the button (henceforth: donks) are super loose and are the ones getting lucky. They'll call to the turn with anything (I mean just that). </font>
- <font color="brown"> Player on my left (from now on called lefty) is semi-tight for 3/6 but not very good. </font>

Preflop:
- <font color="brown"> Lefty calls </font>
- <font color="green"> MP calls </font>
- <font color="orange"> Donks call </font>
- <font color="blue"> Button raises </font>
- SB folds
- I call, <font color="brown"> lefty calls </font>
- <font color="green"> MP raises </font> At this point I believe its more likely he has a good multi-way hand then a monster, although both are certainly possible. He seemed like a player that understood pot equity and the fact that if he had raised at the start nobody would have folded and it just as easily could have been 3-bet.
-<font color="orange"> Donks do what they do... call </font>
-<font color="blue"> Button caps </font>
- Everybody calls

Flop (6 players, 24SB): Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

- I check, with the knowledge that if it gets checked around <font color="blue"> button </font> will definitely bet. If I check-raise, I know everyone will still call, but I'm pretty confident that if I then lead the turn when a blank falls <font color="brown"> lefty </font> and <font color="green"> MP </font> will fold if they have nothing. <font color="blue"> Button </font> might also fold the turn if he has nothing, since he's actually capable of folding a hand he has nothing. I have no hope of getting <font color="orange"> donks </font> out of the hand before showdown.

- Everyone checks, <font color="blue">button</font> bets, I raise, everyone calls.

Turn (6 players, 18BB): 5 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

- I bet out.
- <font color="brown"> Lefty </font> calls
- <font color="green"> MP </font> folds
- <font color="orange"> Donks </font> call
- <font color="blue"> Button </font> folds
- So it played out kind of as I'd hoped. Now I'm praying for another blank, its extremely likely I have the best hand at this point.

River (4 players, 22BB): A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

- Not a great card.
- I check since I think its likely one of my 3 opponents has an A.
- Everyone checks to the 2nd <font color="orange"> donk </font> who grabs 6 chips. I immediately grab 6 chips to make a crying call. He sees this and checks.

Questions:
- Was there a better way to protect my hand? In a pot this size, could it have been correct to just call the flop, and hope to checkraise button on a safe turn. I'm pretty confident that it would have been checked around again, and he would have bet. Obviously I don't know thats what would have happened, but I think its likely.

- Suggestions on the river? Besids grabbing my chips that fast since it its discouraging the weak bet/bluffs. This is something I do a lot and I'm trying to stop doing.

- Other suggestions?