1/2 game. Hero has been playing for a few hours and has been running well and my stack covers the entire table.

V1 (200$) is 25-35yo wg, plays too many hands preflop but seems to be pretty passive post flop. V1 had the biggest stack at the table until hero got into a pot with v1 and flopped top2 and doubled up. V1 never showed his hand.

V2 (70$) is a 50 something guy, typical loose fishy type. Plays garbage, called an open from hero with q4o and was out of position.

V3 (200$)is a 30ish wg, solid thinking TAG that hero has played with before and hero respects his game.

Hands starts with it limping around 4 times. UTG limps, V1 is MP and V2 is on his direct left, they both limp. The button limps and I am in the SB with 88. I dont think raising accomplishes anything here, V1 and V2 are unlikely to fold and I dont think its wise to play a post OOP that iwll most likely go multiway. I elect to just complete and take the flop.

BB is V3 and he checks his option.

Flop is 12$ and comes 877r. I check and it checks around to V1 who makes its 15$. V2 shoves all in his remaining stack which is 68$. Button folds and its back on me. What does hero do here. I feel like i'm screwed either way, calling and raising are both strong. Hero would like to get some more action from players behind but isnt sure on whats the best option? Flatting gives a better price to players behind but my range when raising could be perceived to have more bluffs or weaker hands i'm raising to protect/stack off with V2.

You're miles ahead of everyone, just flat. It may encourage a call from the BB, UTG, or V1 and that's just more money in the pot. If you jam here, you're folding out basically everything but a 7 which is probably going to pile money in anyway.

just flat the V2 shove. you can represent a slowplayed 99+ pair, A8 and weaker 7x.

if V1 doesn't have 7x at this point, then he'll almost certainly fold. but if he does have 7x you want to keep his entire range in. chances are he will re-jam A7, 87 no matter what you do, but you don't want to chase out 76.

There's no reason to raise, there's plenty of time to get stacks in. Just flat and then probably lead turn small. Raising is not going to look weak from you here. If you had a hand worse than a 7 but that still wants to stack off against V2, you'd have raised pre or led flop or both. And it's not possible that you have a bluff in a protected pot. Also, even if all that were not the case, it's my experience at LLSNL that most of the time bet sizes are interpreted very straightforwardly, just bigger = stronger, even when they shouldn't be.

What he said. It is critical to lead turn. Just straight up open milk V's 7 or PP.

Flat flop

Thanks for the input. I did pause for a bit feigning a decision and then flat called. The rest of the players folded including v1 who originally bet. V2 tabled 44. Scooped the pot.

Lead flop.

Fish - top set / top boat is notoriously hard to get paid because you block so much of V’s potential calling range.