Pot control or protection? Discuss this texture

[Genz]

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I would bet 2/3s pot here and see what happens. If villian pushes, maybe we lay it down. If villian calls and checks the turn, then I would check behind.

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The interesting thing about this spot, I think, is, that you need to put it all together. I forgot to state the pot size on the flop in my OP. But it's obv. about $6.40 (not sure about the rake). Villain has approx. $18 left.

So your line would mean betting about $4 which would make a $14.4 pot on the turn and villain having only $14, i.e. a PSB left. I would have invested $7.10 into the pot which is 30% of villains effective stack, i.e. folding the best hand here would be a major mistake. So the "maybe we lay it down" in your post is actually a big factor to consider here.