[xerocat]

This is more of a strategy question than an "Is my line correct?" question. I know that in SSHE, Sklansky advocates limping with a small pocket pair, trying to flop a set cheaply and proceeding from there and that's the way I've always played it. I came across another strategy from a different book, where the author suggested raising from the button or blinds with a hand like 55 after many limpers have entered the pot in a loose game. The reason for this was to build a big pot once you did hit a set. I assume that his advice is on the grounds that all the limpers give a small pair good odds + implied odds to begin to build a big pot pre-flop for the 1 in 8 or so times that you do hit a set.

I ran 55 through a simulator and I got a 12.9% chance of winning at the showdown vs 9 hands over 500k trials. It seems that with 8-9 players seeing the flop, my equity is about break even pre-flop since I'm putting in between 11.1% with 9 to 12.5% with 8 seeing the flop. Against weak players who are drawing dead and paying me off the times I do make a set, this seems like it is a profitable play in this type of situation.

My questions are:

1)Is my thinking correct here with break-even equity pre-flop and great implied odds post-flop vs weak players?

2)Is this play that much better than just limping in the same scenario?

3)Building a big pot pre-flop also gives weak players correct odds to draw out, putting less dead money in the pot and creating a situations where they make fewer mistakes. I often can't protect my hand vs these drawing hands by building a big pot pre-flop. Is it worthwhile to make this play pre-flop since it would seem to lessen my equity on the flop and turn?

The type of game this is suggested for is loose/passive with many weak players. This seems to make sense, but I haven't played them this way and wanted to see what your advice is. Thanks in advance guys.