Patience IS a virtue....
This is usually the part in the game I just get bored/fed/and just decide to just luck box it, because I can't fathom going in to the first break as the lowest in the tourney cuz of my tight ways...Correct?
In the words of Mike 'The mouth' Matusow, when talking about the WSOP, "it's a marathon, not a sprint" and to this extent, I agree. I have only been playing poker for a year but I have come to realise that patience is the key to successful tournament play. It doesn't matter how many chips you have at first break, just as long as you still have some chips left to play with.
I used to think that it was important to get an early lead and indeed I would too! Then I would bust out by calling a short stack all-in raise with a marginal hand. I have found that those players who do take an early lead are rarely to be found at the final table. This is probably the mindset of most newbs and would begin to explain the recklessness of these individuals in the
freerolls. (however I see from your profile that you have been playing a while)
My first tournament success came in the UK freeroll 27th July 2009 on Full Tilt. 1693 entries, the match lasted almost 5 hours, and I won a whole $15!!! At one point I was reduced to 120 chips and could easily have gone on tilt, but prevailed to win the tournament outright. During that time there were FIVE breaks and, had I been playing to the break, I doubt I would have won at all. Tournament play is about survival to the Final Table. By all means go all-in when you have a premium hand but why risk your entire stack on marginal hands? Also, don't try to eliminate EVERY player at your table or every time you play a hand... there are other tables playing too, and players are being eliminated at those tables as well.
It is frustrating to see the eight other players at your table win pot's that you did not even enter (and should have won had you done so), and sometimes it feels like there is one player at your table that wins every pot, either through blind stealing or winning with rags. You then find yourself playing rags too, with the thought that "
if he can win with 64o then so can I". DO NOT succumb to this!!!
Loosen up and see a few more flops, but know when to fold when you miss or are facing one or two overcards. Think of folding, not as a display of weakness, but as a way of protecting your remaining chips.
Finally... Forget Luck. If luck were the only thing needed to win there would be professional
roulette players.