Betting with a side pot

[Scarface]

Hi I was just wondering what the consensus is in respect of betting into a pot in a tournament where there is a short stack all in in a side pot. I always like to check it down no matter what, and I get a little bit irritated when people bet.

In tournies there is so much value in eliminating people, to bet even to protect your hand, in my mind, seems a really stupid play. I was playing with a guy in a sng yesterday who bet in this situation with 6 high and then justified this by saying he wanted to keep the shortstack alive on the bubble. In my mind this seems counterintuitive, what does everyone else think?

[Fnord]

Hi I was just wondering what the consensus is in respect of betting into a pot in a tournament where there is a short stack all in in a side pot.

In a 1 table SnG, unless you're down to 4 or fewer players it's in your best interest to maximize your chances of winning the pot.

In tournies there is so much value in eliminating people, to bet even to protect your hand, in my mind, seems a really stupid play. I was playing with a guy in a sng yesterday who bet in this situation with 6 high and then justified this by saying he wanted to keep the shortstack alive on the bubble. In my mind this seems counterintuitive, what does everyone else think?

If he's the big stack and/or owning the bubble it might be valid.

For the most part, I don't engage in serious poker discussion with strangers at the table. Instead I choose Charazard, recite Thomas the Tank Engine lyrics, discuss how drunk/stoned/buzzed I am at the moment, talk about our favorite kind of slot machine and other such more productive debate.

[TLR]

When your interest is to knock off a player check it
However there are situations that you want to bet it out.
For example you have a pretty decent hand after the flop - TPGK. The pot represents a nice addition to your stack. You dont want the other player to draw on you and you believe you are ahead of the short stack