[ricdaman]

My sample is fairly small, having played only about 50 tourneys. And let me clarify one thing, I win nothing in 7/10 tourneys. Of the 3/10 I place in the money in, 2 of those are at the final table.

I take the strategy of "go for the gold." This may not be the best strategy. For me, when I play conservatively and just try to make it to the money every time, I usually bust out early to middle in the money, which is usually about 2 times my buy-in. By gambling a little bit more, I bust out of more tourneys without hitting the money, but the times I do hit the money, I usually place quite well, winning 20 times my buy-in quite often ($100 on a $5 buy in), usually around 5th place for a normal MTT on UB.

Keep in mind, this is NOT the suggested strategy of "Tournament Hold'Em for Advanced Players." For me, it's a lot more fun and exciting to make it to a final table, than it is to win money. So I am playing for the thrill more than for the money, and the money is taking care of itself.

BTW... you are just starting. I played 13 tourneys before winning 1 penny. You are already doing better than me! If you haven't read, "Tournament Hold'em For Advanced Players," READ IT!!! This completely turned my tournament play around. I lost my first 13 tourneys, read the book, and my very first tourney I played in after finishing the book, I won over $100 in.