Easy stuff, step by step;
Step 1...Avoid the first hour. DO not get into any confrontations without great position and AA or KK, and be very wary of KK.
(note, if you play anything the first hour you will not be around for the 3rd hour)
Step 2...Once you have made the break, which is likely further than you have ever gone before, pat yourself on the back. You can now begin some chip accumulation. You do this by using the info gathered in the first hour about who is insane, and what kind of insanity they suffer. You still MUST have position, and pretty damn good cards, unless you are bored and have other things to do.
If you do find yourself with position and pretty damn good cards, then act like it. Don't put all your chips in the middle right off, you will look like your bored, and all the folks still standing know how to deal with that bs. Controlled aggression is the key. You've seen the size of the raises other players are making, and the conditions they have been making those raises in, try doing that instead of whatever it is you have been doing which never got you this far before!
Step 3 Hour 3. By now 3/4 of the original field is gone, and you have mostly decent players left. If you think you have some game, this is the time to find out. The 3rd hour is the time when a whole new dimension gains validity in a big tourney. The decent players all acknowledge they have made it this far and all will be reluctant to jeopardize their stacks in contested pot without pretty nice holdings. This is when you actually could consider that bluffs might have a chance. Beware, if you over use bluffing (pulling the wool over the eyes of a fool) the only fool will be you. You probably can't get away with more than maybe 1 or 2 bluffs every 5 orbits. Hands are playing fast at this point, and timing those bluffs become critical. If you see anyone entering the pot more than 30% of the time you can consider that he is likely abusing that bluffing privilege. This is an opportunity for you, but going against him with light holdings is not recommended. Also, every other player is seeing the same thing as you are seeing, and looking for that same opportunity.
Step 4 Hour 4. Hopefully you are sitting with close to the average stack and haven't panicked and are in no need of drastic action yet. You may even already be ITM. If not, then you may be close. Pre bubble, everyone is thinking the same thing, get ITM, then make the move. At this point you probably can up that bluff ratio and get away with it. Post bubble, the game takes on many of the early tourney madness, and you can tighten up while the rest of the low stacks fight it out. You will move up the payscale without doing anything.
Step 5 Definitly ITM, probably about half the money field is gone. The short stacks at the bubble have solved that short stack problem, one way or another. You may be getting low and this is when boldness starts paying off. This is when you can actually start playing poker like you see it on TV. Somewhere in your psyche there has to be that element of "I don't care", but it can't be total recklessness. You have to find the aggressive game in yourself. You are in raise or fold land. You must abandon all your intimidations here if you hope to keep advancing. If you are card dead, then folding here will still move you up the payscale, and I think it is often a better option than pushing mediocre hands. We all dream about the glory of the win, but a good healthy payday is glory without the gory.
Step 5 will last until the final table, that can take a long time. During step 5, you will need to race several times, usually with short stacks and often with tourney death starring you in the face. Make good decisions here and you may survive, but remember
with 10 players left, 90% of them will fail! Your goal is to outlast them all. Milk Toast will not be the last one standing.
Step 6 HU. You have to understand that in many ways HU's are always crapshoots. Luck of the draw. Take your 2 cards and if they average over 7.5 you are above average in a HU! You want to take advantage of marginal advantages but probably do NOT want to put your life on the line.
Suited cards are an advantage, connectors , and small pairs are advantages. It is almost always correct to complete if you think your villain will check, but HU this is never a given. He got here being aggressive, just like you did.
Step 7 Bask in the glory...You won!
