tournaments vs cash or ring games

Hello all. Busy refining your poker skills? Glad to hear it. Right I've won a couple of single table tournaments and i try every freeroll going. I'm slightly up on my winnings at the moment through the ring games, i have the patience of a saint for them. But the thing with tourney play, especially multi table is, because the blinds go up, the same strategy that i use for ring games dont occur that often for multi tourney play.
Which do people out there prefer? I'm refering to the title of this thread. Is it better to accumulate chips early, or sit back until it's worth fighting for the blinds in multi tourney play? Is sitting back (as i tend to do in ring games) asking for trouble in multi table tourney, and when you do fight for the blinds, is it an obvious ploy on tight players behalf to start fighting for the blinds like a mad man?
I know I have to observe other players play ,and improvisewhen i see their patterns, but sometimes, you get swapped to another table to even numbers out, and you haven't got enough chips to tread the water if you get my drift. (I'm a beginner so a lack of chips in tourney may not be a problem for you!) Anway that's the end my long query/rant! PokerStars if the same thread has been started before, apologies.

i believe patience is a must in multi-table tournies. so your already a step up on a lot of other people. odds are your going to get good cards eventually so dont over play your mistakes. one thing is you can gain more chips later than earlier because people have more chips later. make smart plays early, take risks later

Tournies for newer players. Ring games you won't like the swings with your bankroll!

In multi-table tournaments in general, I prefer the slow play approach. I try to be highly selective in what hands I play, usually opting for only the biggest ones (AA, KK, QQ, AKs) during the first hour. In a freeroll, when there's nothing monetarily at risk for the participants and you'll see frequent all-in's with nothing hands, I become practically motionless for the first hour. I don't support the "sit out" approach, because just sitting out for the first hour means you don't see any potentially rewarding hands. I don't want to be inactive when AA or KK falls to me, because how many times can I realistically expect to see those starters in one tournament?

As for ring games vs. tournaments, I have more immediate success at the ring games and primarily supplement my bankroll there. But I actually get more personal enjoyment out of tournament play. I think they're more fun.

I prefer MTT too because I love seeing the numbers fall as you stack those chips!

I make more from ring games as well, I seem to always get down to the final 2 or 3 so always recoup the entry fee at the very at least

Played a few heads up last night too. Won 2 x $5, then lost 2 x $10 but won 1 x $20 so was $10 overall, which was ok

Yes, patience is definitely a virtue early on in multi-table tourneys. Unless you find you are at a timid table, then take advantage of that. I might try to limp in on the first few hands when the blinds are small, just to see what the flop holds...(you never know). But one thing that I think is important to know in a multi-table tourney is how long each level lasts. In my opinion, the shorter the time period, the more aggressive your play needs to be. I've tried playing tight and slow in tourneys where each level is only 6 minutes, but blinds go up so quickly, if you haven't built a cushion, you can shoot yourself in the foot and be blinded and anted out in a fast paced game like that.