Why is everyone raising 2.5xBB or other standard amounts?

[betgo]

HOH suggests mixing in raises between 2 and 5 x BB (with a large ante) and limps. Sklansky has posted on the board problems where his prefered solution was a raise of 5xBB or a limp.

It is true that if you always raise 3xBB put 1xBB per limper early and 2.5xBB late, you give away no information, but also lose flexibility. Also, people know how to play against standard raise sizes, but get confused by unusual ones.

If you always raise 4xBB with big aces or middle pps and nothing else, you give away too much information. However, you could make a large raise that gives you an easy decision to a reraise, and sometimes the decision is call and sometimes fold.

I think I am going to try raising 4xBB, as well as limping and miniraising more, because it screws up people expecting certain standard plays. Also, I can adapt these plays to what I want to do, and people may not make the correct read on why I raised what I did.