I Screwed It Up

[Mook]

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Yeah, don't bet the flop. You've got middle pair against 4 people in a small pot. Once you do bet the flop, though, you've gotta pay 1 more to draw at your (presumably) 5 outs.

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So a theory question, then: What's the worst holding you bet out from the BB in this spot?

Is having any overcard with our middle pair (e.g. J6) enough to justify betting out to "protect our hand"? How about A6/K6? Given the small pot, do we even bother betting TPNK (e.g. T2) or 77 here?

I ask because I hate playing small pots out of position - so I probably check more than I should here - but the combination of "might improve if behind" plus "dry board where opponents will fold anything that missed" probably equals some equity I'm missing out on.

Mook