1/2 live.

2 limps, Open to $12 by v1, solid MAWG, hero calls 88 OTB and we take a 5 way flop. V2 is 50’s guy who is probably a bad passive red but haven’t seen him play too many hands yet. We are all about $400 deep.
Pot$60.

Flop 89Tr.

Checks to MAWG who bets $30, I call and v2 calls. Should’ve raised flop in hindsight (not because of results just because I think it’s correct).

Pot: $150.

Turn: Ar.

V2 donks for $75, MAWG calls and I call.

River 7.

Pot: 375.

V2 bets $175, MAWG folds and I fold.

Thoughts on flop and turn?

I think it's fine. I'm not raising the flop with any hands in position when there's no FDs.

Although it's a rainbow board, the flop is still very coordinated and smashes lots of preflop calling ranges (TP+draw, 2pair, etc). Also, you are fairly deep with 200BB so you should be looking to raise this flop and play for stacks on favorable runouts. Just passively calling down really diminishes potential value for your set.

I'm calling with my entire range here. I'm not going to only raise sets and QJ.

While certain board texture require you to x/c with your entire range, this is not even close to one of them, especially multiway (How about 2p combos, sets, and bluffs to balance?). You can argue flatting TT b/c of nut blocking potential, A set of 8's is still a vulnerable holding on this board, and flatting gives v2 a great price to call and draw out on you. Raise flop for value and take the lead with position, as you can check back on bad turns, rivers.

I c/r large on the flop. You have to think about the rest of the hand and many of the turn/river cards will not be favorable for you. I reraise 100 on flop. I would call river too at 175 into 375. I'd be 50/50 by that point that I was beat.

Yeah!!! Very true.

Raise flop, raise turn!

Folding river as played is standard.

The problem is that on this board 5 ways other than QJ you are not thrilled getting a ton of action when you raise. Since I don't only want to raise QJ I'm therefore calling all my hands. Like you said a set is vulnerable. Not just that this plays almost like an Omaha hand. You would not raise here with a set only. Just because a hand is vulnerable doesn't mean the best play is to raise. You need to think about how you're going to play all your hands here. And if you're raising every two pair+ because those hands are vulnerable, on this particular board 5 ways you're going to be raising with the worst hand a lot.

We can neither c/r nor reraise on the flop

I think the call on the flop is fine but the turn card is a dream card. Why are you not jamming it in there? I don't really care about the terrible river card so much as the just call on the turn. In our mind we should be chanting Ace Ace Ace Ace Ace Ace.... And when it hits, we should be jamming as fast as we can.

The flop raise is for value, protecting a vulnerable hand is just a consequence. In addition, you are better able to get stacks in on good turns (like that exact A on the turn)

Flop call is totally fine in theory given relative position. Might not be best in practice, but I don't see why not.

Theory totally goes out the window once we get to the turn three-way with a fish, particularly when the fish is donking. Raise seems clearly best now that we got our safe card.

River fold is good.

your playing 1,2 live here. you dont ever even think about balancing your hands when you can play for an all in. just figure out the best way to get all in here.

and that way is to build the flop big time. and if you dont at least do it on the turn please.

+1. Failing to c/r on the flop is not necessarily "criminal" as folks like to say here, but I think a good size c/r is probably best against 2 opponents. When we don't c/r the flop though, and the turn is a good card for us, not raising the turn does start to look at least like at least a misdemeanor.

Hero is on the button, can't c/r.

Raise flop with QJ and sets. Bet turn. What is there to see here? You think you don't get action from overapirs, J10, J9, 109? There are even donks who will call with a hand like 97. Slam dunk flop raise, if you're up against a straight it's fine, still winning the hand often enough to raise the flop.

Really confused by people saying they don't have a raising range on this flop

Dont be confused. It is wrong. And 88 should deffo be in that raising range.

OP, badly played on flop and turn. River just kind of served you justice IMO.

+1. Whoops I got confused by another poster in my prev comment but still should raise flop and when we luck out with a blank on the turn should definitely raise by then.

I guess at 1/2 and 100bb stacks and less that is fine. Deeper higher stakes tougher games this strategy will not work out well for you as people are folding worse a lot more and you're only going to get action you don't really want.

but you have to realize the pot is a third of what you have left. and that size pot you dont want to have someone drawing cheaply, and here almost certainly will there be a decent draw.
to give free cards is totally wrong with the pot size and not having any idea of opponents holdings. moving in on the flop has lots of merit as well here. especially if there is a player who might take a stab at running you off on any straight card.

and who knows that might be exactly what happened. which is a complete disaster for you.

The fact we didn't get our money in on the turn when V2 donked for half pot and MAWG called is criminal. More than enough two pair or A + SD like AJ to justify jamming when SPR is almost 1:1.

Flop to $100

GII turn.

The only awful thing would be to get money in against a flopped straight, but hey, what can you do.

I'm not disagreeing with getting more money in, but it would be far worse to be up against a set of 9s or Ts than against a straight.

I certainly disagree that we shouldn't have a raising range here. Sets and non-nut straights shut out a lot of equity by forcing anything with a Q/J/7 to face two bets cold. It's a spot where there's a ton of drawing hands, but none of them are very good.

In general, though, having nut absolute position with nut-worst relative position in these super MW pots is a spot where you're not gonna do a lot of raising. I'm a little undecided on bottom set. It's one of the hands that makes the best case for flatting, but it doesn't take great advantage of seeing more cards and action (it's hard-pressed to fold facing any action from players left to act and any turns). Can't really go wrong with raising at 1/2 obviously.