It's important to play lots of tourneys and find a style that works for you, and suits your personality . Some people like a loose aggressive approach throughout an event , with a wide range of pre flop raises + reraises , semi bluffs , continuation bets , and outright steals . Good card sense and the ability to read your opponents is essential if you pick this method . One must also be willing to endure a roller coaster stack size and disasters at any time ( it hurts near the bubble ) . I like a very tight , patient range early and a looser mix once the antes kick in . This style often leaves you with a low stack compared to the gamblers ,but you will get deeper into the tournament regularly . An advantage is that your observant opponents will tend to give you credit when they see your solid starting standards . You will have few blow ups , less variance and more cashes , but wont get to the final table much . The bubble, and any subsequent level ups will be a struggle almost every time. You need to know the shoving math then ! Pick your theory /style and see if you can make it work .