Keeping Pots small against a big stack. Good Idea?

[ismisus]

If you're 80% sure that your big stack has the other bigger stack beat, do you just call his bets to keep the pot small or do you raise him to prevent any "bad beats"?

Here's an example...
In an 1100-people tourney today. 60 people left. I am the 3rd biggest stack in the tourney, the chip leader sits to my right. As soon as he sits down, I told myself to do everything possible to not get busted by him. I have 40 BB, I am confident about making the final table.
Then this hand comes up

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t1000 (9 handed) converter

saw flop|<font color="#C00000">saw showdown</font>

UTG+1 (t10664)
MP1 (t9643)
MP2 (t8983)
MP3 (t16716)
CO (t15386)
Button (t24802)
<font color="#C00000">SB (t56834)</font>
<font color="#C00000">Hero (t41016)</font>
UTG (t8956)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 calls t1000, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP2 calls t1000, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, CO calls t1000, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (t5000) 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(5 players)</font>
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, MP2 checks, <font color="#CC3333">CO bets t5000</font>, <font color="#CC3333">SB raises to t10000</font>,<font color="red"> Hero is all in </font> , UTG+1 folds, MP2 folds, CO folds, SB calls t30016.

Turn: (t90032) K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

River: (t90032) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: t90032

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
Hero has 5d 2d (two pair, fives and twos).
SB has 2c 9c (two pair, nines and twos).
Outcome: SB wins t90032. </font>

This was an unusual hand, I've never seen so many limpers at such late stages! CO is a loose cannon. SB is your typical good big stack. Now I am not laying this down. The decision for me is to just call, and allow them to outdraw me, or to go all in. What would you do?

By the way he had 9 2

[tiger7210]

You have to bet out on this flop with 2nd and 3rd pair. It's a very vulnerable hand especially in an unraised pot. I've seen so many people bust out with 2 pr and you don't even hold 2 big pairs. Its a playable hand certainly post flop, but you could have found out the SB big stack had a real hand without putting all your chips in there. It's not the type of hand I want to be playing against another big stack who could also be holding any 2 there when you have so many chips. Its not like you hit a set, its only 2 pr in an unraised pot.

[snowmen]

A medium size would be great in that situation making the CO fold and testing SB.If SB calls keep betting without risking a big amount of chips , if action gos back to you just fold , you do not need to risk , you are in a good shape to face the rest of the tournament. Imho