Playing Tournaments by Not Playing

I just conducted an experiment. I played in a 45-player tournament on Full Tilt Poker. Buy-in was $1 (+ 25c for the house). The prize pool was split amongst the final six players. I came seventh.

So what, you ask? I sat out in the first hand, ate some dinner, and read for a while. I did not play a single hand. Which means I had to cough up the blinds when it was my turn, and that was all. And I only just missed the cut to win money. There were many players trying hard to win, and I beat all but six of them by doing absolutely nothing.

It seems to me that in the lowest stakes tournaments, being ultra-tight is a winning strategy. Play the strongest hands well when you have position, and fold on everything else. Don’t take risks. Exercise patience, patience, patience.