How are you shorting yourself when the only way to get a trip that you want is to bid it straight? Your earlier post was very clear cut.... DO NOT BID STRAIGHT... get it from extra fly if you must.
The only bidding advice I give is check TTGA first, but realize that a majority of the sweet trips/turns are there to clear someone else’s board so they can bid POT. More power to them.
I don’t know what drives people to bid they way they do... again... ain’t my business. Maybe they are at their 4th airline after 20 years of bankruptcies/furloughs/stuck at the regionals and are trying to get financially healthy; maybe they are on their 4th ex-wife; maybe they have 3 kids in college; maybe they’re trying to retire early; maybe they’re returning to work after being out for a year or more of LTD; maybe they child or parent dependent care issues; or maybe they are just a workaholic. Bid whatever meets your needs.