No good read on UTG or UTG+1

Party Poker 0.50/1 Hold'em (9 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Preflop: Hero is Button with 8:club:, 8:heart:.
UTG raises, BB calls.

Flop: (8.50 SB) 2:club:, 7:spade:, 9:heart: (4 players)
BB checks, UTG bets, Hero folds

The more I look at this hand, the more I think I should have just folded preflop, but I've seen so many .5/1 donks raising UTG with A7 and the like.

Anyway, 2 questions.
1) Do I fold this preflop?
2) Easy fold on the flop?

Reads would really help.

I would call here if I expected one blind to come along.

I would fold here against a tight UTG raiser regardless.

Fold preflop. You dont have any fold equity at this level, so you need to hit a set. You dont have enough callers to play for a raise and get paid enough when you hit your set.

I see a pattern in your posts. You make bad preflop calls because the donk could be playing trash. Donks get dealt random cards too, and even though A7 might be in their range of raising hands, so are true premium holdings. You start playing AQ off from early position for a raise, or 88 4-handed for a raise, people will be saying the same things about you. Dont ask yourself if you beat the worst holdings the donk could be playing. Ask yourself how you fare against his range of raising hands. The answers are often very different.

So 88 wins UI 0% of the time. That can't be right.

No, it's not 0, but with 3 callers who will certainly peel a turn, and maybe call to see a river, half the deck are scare cards...it's not too far from 0. The only thing you have going for you is position. A lot of the time you're bet into with overs in the flop. You dont know if you're ahead or drawing to 2 outs. Mid pairs play better for set value in multi-way pots. No way I'm calling 2 cold here.

Im playing 88 there if its a loose game. Like Screech said, im folding that in an instant preflop against a TAG.

Flop is an easy fold. You only have a very vulnerable middle pair.

Ok.

But you're missing out on value in certain situations.