Surviving To The Final Table

I've played countless tournaments online and I suppose I should have been out there in the real world playing tournaments, because I'm pretty good at getting into the money area, final tables, and sometimes even winning. One thing I learned was to survive. "Dead Money" can be defined as those players who, in the beginning, are so anxious to increase their stack they go all-in recklessly. Further into the tournament, a second kind of dead money appears in the form of those whose luck or bad play has dwindled their stacks while other stacks have grown. This is the kind that is either fearful or giving up. The final kind of dead money surfaces in the approach to the final table, at the point the blinds are causing widespread panic. This has the effect of causing some players to "Blow Up". If a player can be aware of these scenarios, stay away from diving head-first into someone else's "Rush", and be patient, but, unafraid to take action when presented with opportunity, the chances of making the final table will greatly improve!