The tournament clock plays a big factor in deciding how long you can wait to move in. Given that the blinds dictate the relative size of your stack and the clock dictates the blinds, this must be the case.

This often catches players out in the tournament as a whole. Players start a short tournament with 50 big blinds and think they’ve got big stacks. But let’s say the levels only last 15 minutes; after two levels (only a few orbits) the average stack will be less than 20 big blinds. As such, you often need to have a short-stacked mentality early in events.

Also, be aware of when the blinds are going to increase. You may be sitting with 16 big blinds and feeling comfortable, but if the blinds are about to move from 100/200 to 200/400 then your stack is about to go from a medium-ish one to a short one, so you need to be moving chips. Remember, this jump will affect the entire tournament and many players won’t adjust in time. So make sure you know the tourney structure , keep an eye on the clock, and don’t wait too long.