One of the skills of a professional poker player when playing in a Tourney is his ability to vary his play and be aware of what types of plays will keep him alive.
Quite often this is a product of your current "M"
"M" is the number you derive from adding the Big Blind and Small Blind and dividing your current stack size by that sum. So for example if the blinds are 50 and 100 and you have a stack size of 2000 chips (50+100=150 2000/150 = an M of ~13)
A good guideline is:
M > 20+ you can play all sorts of styles (aggressive, passive, tight, loose)
M is between 10-15 you still can be aggressive but not as loose and not calling as many hands
M is between 5-9 you are in danger of being shortstacked and not having enough to dissuade callers. You are more in the "All-In" state of play...either folding or going all-in selectively
M is between 1-5 you are as good as gone and may not have the chance of going all-in on cards you want to go in on. You may have to go "all-in" on a lucky chance.
By trying to keep your M high (playing tight and aggressive) stealing blinds when you can, pushing smaller stacks, you will not be blinded away and will be able to make it "In The Money"
For more detailed information on "M" you can read Dan Harrington's book on Tournament Game Play by two plus two publishing.
