How you play when approaching the money depends on your goals and aspirations. It all depends on what you actually want out of the tournament.

When I first started playing freezeout tournaments about three years ago I found I could make the money fairly consistently by playing ABC poker. Wait for big hands, showdown the best hand and indeed I still play that way today although these days I tend to make far bigger cashes far more often than I used to - so what changed?

Firstly I became a believer. A new poker religion absorbed me into it's conciousness. I became a firm believer in what people were telling me. If they were telling me my JJ was beat on an AKQ flop I believed them and folded. I stopped trying to bluff. In a tournament eveyone is waiting for good hands to play and bluffing is not a good idea. More frequently I bust out to bad beats these days than because I had the worst of it going into the flop.

Secondly I realised that whilst making the money meant I had come a long way as a poker player, making the big money needed a different approach to my tight agressive style.

I needed to become something else, I needed to become a different type of player in tournaments.

in 2005 I had a number of small and insignificant cashes until by chance, whilst playing under the influence I made an £800 cash for third. I realised that by not being afraid to get it all in when I was ahead I could make a big difference to my bankroll.

Please note that if you are going to play whilst shit faced then tournament poker is the game to play as you use up just the one buy in for hopefully a lengthy time at the table, but I've done enough damage to previous bankrolls including going through $500 in one session and not remembering what I'd done the next morning.

Where's my money gone?  The cash table history reveals all.

Do not play poker and drink at the same time and expect to grow a bankroll. Exactly the opposite will happen. I promise you. Heed my warning.

I vaguely remember reloading on a cash table for the third time and being laughed at. Here he comes again! Another reload! ATM machine etc.

Read my article on sixhanded.com if you have a poker/alcohol related problem.

A couple of weeks ago I won the 10k Guaranteed on Blue SQ for 2k and then cashed the next night for another £200. I usually only play at weekends as I don't have time for more due to building my web business.

Last night I cashed for $550 in a $10 tourney coming third and so I'm confident in my tournament ability.

What type of player did I become?

I became a tournament player.

Most poker players are described as either Loose/passive or tight/aggressive and lot's of others in between.

All players are characterised into these boxes but you need to be a mixture of everything to be a good tournament player.

The biggest facet of my game that has changed dramatically is my folding ability. I can fold hands that I couldn't before. I don't play hands that were irresistable before. That KQ suited under the gun looks so prrrretty!

Now it looks like what it is: Trash in that position. And position is a big part of the game.

So let's get back to approaching the money. If you are just starting out as a tournament player then making the money consistently is a good goal to aim for. After a while however you realise that it's actually quite easy to make the money but making the big cashes, the big bankroll building cashes, the type of cashes that can equal a months salary are out of reach.

Decide what you want from the game before you start out playing. If you want to make the money then that's a fine and worthy goal and if you can do it consistently then you are on your way to being a good tournament player.

Making the big money regularly is a different kettle of fish. You also need a bankroll big enough to cover multiple bust outs without making the money to get to the big money.

So there you have it. How you play when approaching the money depends on what you want out of the game. If your goal is to simply make the money and cover your buy in with some icing on top then you are going to play tight aggressive or just fold your way in.

If you want to eat the whole cake however then you need to play like a tournament player.

A tournament player is only happy making the final table. And by the way what I absolutely LOVE about full tilt poker is the way the screen background changes so that you have a big crowd looking on at the final table. That's a really neat touch.

Making the money does not matter to the tournament player. Making the final table is what matters and winning is the goal. Once you have broken the ice and taken down a large tournament you realise that you can do it again - and again - and again.

If you are going to play tournaments then learn to play like a tournament player would and making the money will not affect how you play the game.