what to do?????

I have a question....I am relatively new to playing 8 months or so?????I cash sometimes...seem to do well beginning iof tournament playing tight but aggressive......last night I was in a tournament palying my normal way I had a bout 26000 in chips high was 57000ave was7500.....I had just made the $$$$ at 135.....I noticed that there were at least 6 peoiple sitting out for a long peroid of time...just not playing.......I started playing a little loose and proceeded to get knocked out at 117 and not make as much $$$ as I wanted (isnt that always the case)....I guess my question is it advisable to just sit back and let people knock each other out and wait????? In my previous posts I have talked about my discipline I guess this would come under that......What do u think

my brain just exploded!!!

if there were people sitting out. You should be taking there blinds with as little resistance as possible from the other players who are playing. You must leave the others take some blinds so you dont piss them off. The aim is to steal more than them. You must have made some pretty bad mistakes to lose that stack. Please post the hands you lost most your chips on if you want more advice. My guess is that you played too many races instead of working on taking the blinds.

indeed it sounds like you commited yourself to too many hands, try and keep pots small to slowly build if you feel you fall out too early. There is no need to rush into action if you dont have the cards to do it. You can still wait for cards and just play position to maintain your stuck until you hit those big hands. Post some hand histories into tourny analysis if you want more detailed afvice

EXPERIENCE!

"Yes and no, it depends!" (TM)

Like every ring game is different depending on players, styles, aggression, passiveness, position, opportunity and a myriad of variables. So too are tournaments, if you read some of the articles about tournaments here in CC you'll get the "general" idea of how to play them at different stages but your best teacher will be experience.

Aggression is often the key to tournament play depending on the situation, it can be tight aggression or loose aggression, loose aggression is more dependent upon better than above average stack size and a good read on your opponents while your totally focused. When you have several focused loose aggressive players at your table you need to be tight aggressive, if there are several tight aggressive players at your table you need to be loose aggressive.

If you're average stacked or under average in the late stages of a tournament don't discount tight/passive/aggression, position, position, position, focus and read for opportunity's to double up the action often gets wild around this time. Who's been the most patient at your table? If he comes in for a raise get out! Who's been the most impatient showing down all-ins with A/J and K/Q? PUSH them with A/K if you get the chance.

Really the only answer to your question is... "it depends". And experience will be your teacher, keep playing the tournaments, the more you play the more it will dawn on you how styles, position and opportunities present themselves.

Like learning a new job the more experience you have the better at it you get.

Good Luck