Hero is BB with about $220
Villain is EP and covers - villain is a good player and probably a bit more aggressive than typical

Hero is dealt 88

Preflop: limped 6 ways

Flop: AJ8 two tone (Pot $12)

Hero leads $15, Villains calls, 3 others call !!!

Turn: 7 off suit (Pot $85)

Hero bets $50, Villain raises to $125, 3 folds, Hero pushes for about $75 more and villain calls

The turn spot royally sucks because I'm still worried about protecting my hand and there's still a lot of poorly defined hands out there. I'm not sure that villain takes this line with anything but T9 but even against that hand I think I have about the right equity to shove. If I flat I think I'm stacking off on any river anyway and missing value against an oddly played AJ.

I think where I'd like to play this differently is on the flop where a big c/r would be better than a lead. I don't really feel like I can over bet the pot even more than I did because I want to extract some value from what is essentially the nuts on the flop. I think if I check and someone bets $10 and there are a couple callers I can raise it to $50 or $60 and fold some/most draws.

Given the way the flop went down though I'm not sure what else I can do on the turn.

Cooler for one of us or poorly played or a combination?

I think it's reasonable to assume that villain could have called the flop with the intention of raising the turn with a hand like AJ. Although he's probably raising that hand. How often does villain open limp, and with what hands? I think, that villain is definitely raising AA or JJ preflop, so I'm not worried about a bigger set. I know you said villain is good and more aggressive than most. Is this compared to just other live 1/2 players?

I play the turn the same. Even if villain has T9 you have a decent amount of equity, and villain could be raising worse.

Yes villain is good and more agg compared to the average 1/2 player. I'd say there's a very good chance that he's a winning player. Still open limping happens ALL the time. Villain is also very deep (300+ BB) and there are some other deep stacks at the table so I'm assuming his open limping range from UTG includes all suited connector and gappers and probably off suit connectors too. He'd 100% raise JJ and AA but AJ is potentially in his limping range as is something like QTs and 78.

Any thoughts on how the flop action should have gone? I think looking for the c/r is probably better but that could just be based on the fact that 4 guys called an over pot sized lead.

Any merit to check/calling the turn instead of leading?

I'd really hate to see this flop get checked all around, plus players at 1/2 live will call you with so much that I would just bet the flop and starting building a pot right away.

If you c/c turn, what is your plan for the river?

Results-oriented retrospection - you should c/bet this flop like 99% of the time.