Tournament 7-20-04

I am really getting confused on the best strategy for these tournaments.  You start with 2000 in chips and the blinds start at 25-50.  They increase every 20 minutes to 50-100, 75-150, 150-300. 

Logic tells me that you need to play aggressive because you can be blinded off fairly quickly.  The problem is anytime you get involved in a hand it seems like you are putting at least 1/2 your stack at risk.

For example I had 10-2 on the big blind and there were 4 limpers.  The flop came 10-7-3.  Pretty ragged.  I have top pair and I want to win it now.  The thought of going all in occurred to me, but I didn't want to risk all my chips since my kicker sucked.  I bet 400 into a pot of 600 I think.  Sure enough someone came over the top of me for 1000.  Now this pot has cost me 600, I have top pair, and I have to fold.

I was up and down for the whole hour I was there.  My last hand I still had just over 2000 in chips and was dealt 9-9 in late position.  UTG had raised the 300 blind another 300.  I thought that seemed kind of a weak raise so I didn't put him on a high pair.  Me and the raiser are about even in chips.   What to do?  I could call and get squashed if any over card hits on the flop.  I could fold because 99 is just a medium pair.  Or I could play aggressive and raise and hope to win the hand before the flop or hope the 99 hold up if he calls.  Since the blinds were expensive and I needed to double up, I went all in.  He turned over AK.  So my read was right and of course the flop had an Ace and I didn't hit my set.  Buh Bye.

The only time I have done really well in these tournaments was the first time when I just played supertight, didn't steal any blinds, and got a big hand early and tripled up.  Maybe next time I will play it that way and only steal on the button and just off the button.