played my very first MTT today (I'm basically a cash player with limited SNG experience). But $40+4 25000k guaranteed tournament had a big overlay, so I couldn't resist.

Cash structure is for final table (9):
6250 (25%)
3850 (15.4%)
2625 (10.5%)
1750 (7%)
1375 (5.5%)
1125 (4.5%)
875 (3.5%)
650 (2.6%)
425 (1.7%)

As I enter the final table my stack is slightly shorter than average at 200,000. I didn't get any cards, but I manage to tread water and pick up about one hand of blinds per round.

But the blinds increase to like 10k/20k and 15k/30k and I'm still treading water. I just don't have many opportunities because my cards are crap and big stacks is raising it up. Lots of gambling and one player gets knocked out per couple of rounds or so.

Then 6 handed I fold through one round of rubbish, call in shortie in the BB with rubbish and 6:1 odds (and lose), and watch shortie go bust the next hand giving me 120,000 or so. Then on my BB (40k by now) a 200,000 stack goes all in, big stack pushes over the top of him, and I fold my T8. They show JJ and AK and small stack wins. The very next hand I have like 55,000 left in my stack and big stack raises it up so I call with my feeble J6 and bust out in 5th.

If you've read what seems like a pretty routine story, please bear with me because I never played an MTT before. I'd like to know.

1. How steep was the prize structure I was playing? Is it about standard, steeper, or shallower?

2. What kind of strategy should I adopt as a mid-stack? I was pushing when I could, but the action was loose and I just had no cards. Best hand was an AJ in BB and it was folded to me. With no cards I'd generally attack the shorter stacks and stay away from the big ones.

3. Do I need to get in there and make an effort to gamble (cold-call/reraise) with marginal holdings, or just play sensibly and take 5th if that's what I get?

4. (I was madly reading HOH2 while playing the tourney and I would say I let myself get into the dead zone and died... but I just don't know what I could have done about it, given the action and my cards. I mean I didn't exactly wanna call/push raises with Q9)... If you're treading water stealing once per round and the blinds are increasing, when do you start to panic?)

Thanks if anyone takes the time to answer such a noob post. Please do direct me to any relevant posts. I've read the stickies, which are good, but don't really answer my questions. I've also read lambchop's complete hand history he posted. Cheers guys.