[Noel Montgomery]

Just some quick notes.

I think 15xBB is too many chips to always push preflop. You still have room for one 3xBB raise here. The highest profitable amount stated in the study on this is 13xBB. Personally, I push preflop with 8-12xBB.

Remember that when you loosen up your game after the first hour, only loosen up when you are first to bet. Loosening up on calls or raises after someone has limped can be treacherous.

If you get a substantial chip lead, definitely put on your bully cap for a while. But, do not forget to take it off occasionally...put it back on....you know. Switch it up.

As for "chips invested in the pot". Remove this from your thinking. Once the chips are in the pot, they are part of the pot. Not yours anymore. Playing like they are rightfully yours can cloud your judgement on subsequent bets and reading your opponents. If you make a steal attempt, get a caller, and miss the flop, then lead out with a standard continuation bet anyways. Chances are, the flop didn't help your opponent either.

Help at all? Not at all? It's hard to get too specific on what cards to play. MTT's take a lot of practice to learn how to adjust to the different stages. Harrington on Hold'em is THE best source for tournament strategy. Read it if you haven't yet. It helped me change my results from getting in the money occasionally to winning tournaments occasionally.

...I sound like an infomercial...