Raising 77 after 5 limpers

[theghost]

I was reading this post from the digest: limpers & button

In the responses, lots of people are raising 77 from the button after 5 limpers.

Seems to me like a great spot to call since there's almost no chance of winning unimproved - we want to see a flop as cheaply as possible, and we want the blinds along.

Doesn't a raise cut our implied odds in half? Aren't these mediocre pocket pairs all about implied odds for the set? (Especially with so many players involved.)

These hands play well multiway when they hit. If you don't hit your set, 77 is garbage against a field of 5.

Is the idea that we might get a free look at the turn if we don't hit the flop? Doesn't seem worth it to me.

I would raise this after 7 limpers for value, maybe 6 if I'm confident that the blinds will come along. 5 doesn't do it for me.

Magic number for these weak-ish pocket pairs is 8:1 for value raises.

What's up?