TOURNAMENTS: Survival vs. Accumulating Chips

There is a mind-set shared by all great
No-Limit Hold'em Tournament Players.

It is the polar opposite of most beginner
tournament players.

Tournament poker is about Accumulating Chips
NOT about Survival.

But I know you're saying ... "but the person who
survives the longest wins the tournament".

True enough... but in order to win the tournament
you must eventually accumulate ALL the chips into your stack.
You can't do this by playing survival poker. No one ever
folds their way to the final table.

At best, playing poker with a survivors mindset will get you
to the final table when you get a run of better than average
cards or you are playing against opponents with considerably
less skill than you. You may even make your share of final tables.
But when you do, you will be short stacked and praying for cards
that you can double up with.

Survivors dont want to risk their entire tournament on one hand.
The fear of being eliminated causes them to fold and miss
opportunities to accumulate chips. The truth is, there is little value
in remaining in a tournament. Bubble boy earns the same as
the very first person eliminated.

Dont get me wrong... Chip Accumulators dont have to play
wild and crazy trying to win every pot. They look for any edge.
They put their chips in the pot with the best hand or a situation
with a positive long term outcome. (EV or Expected Value).
You can play a Tight/Aggressive (TAG)
style and be a chip accumulator, but you must
Emphasize the Aggression and be willing to be
Less Tight when opportunities to win big pots arise.

The bottom line is....
Survivors will have marginal success, but rarely win tournaments.
Chip Accumulators may bust out early some times, but they are
the ones who win tournaments