yeah being patient is one of the most important things. ive placed first in two tourneys that had 9000+ players (one nl hold em, and one nl 5 card draw). there were several times where my stack was well below the dreaded 10 times big blind. but i held out for what i thought was my best hand with the highest percentage of winning. made my hand and went on a tear from there. most people believe u should push when u approach ten times bb because thats what they hear on tv or from what they've experienced i guess. but im definitely a believer in "a chip and a chair".