LeeRoth wrote on 04/18/09 at 20:57:34:

I sometimes do this as well (specifically with the Tromp and the Colle-Z!) and I have no complaints about it. If the opponent is weak enough I will win anyway. A sligthly more advanced version I use is to have both 1.e4 and 1.d4 with more or less main lines. Then I can choose to rely on, say, 1.d4/2.c4 in a particular tournament, but still play 1.e4 against opponents I expect to beat easily. All to avoid revealing too much!

I think Tony Miles once said or wrote that his notorious surprise weapon 1.e4 Nc6 was a good opening to play early in a tournament, since then his opponents for the remaining rounds would waste time preparing for it! 

Very good question, zoo !
But I would advise the very opposite. If you have an adversary with ambition he will very likely be thinking that he can't afford to fall behind from the very first round. So playing solid as if for a draw seems best.

Don't obssess too much over opening preparation :p

For me the best thing to play well is to sleep well ! Not an easy thing when you have a  2 month's old daughter ... I remember that before a crucial last game in a world championship (that he needed to win) Kasparov said his preparation was to sleep, he didn't shaved and played a Réti opening.

Some random tips:

1.) Concentrate one game at a time. Don't think about future pairings, or past results. They only serve as distractions.

2.) Regularly clear your mind to get a fresh perspective on the current situation. Taking brief walks can help.

3.) Don't give two figs about who your opponent is, whether he be Kasparov or a beginner.

4.) Kick your opponent hard in the leg before every move.

5.) Some physical exercise before a tournament can't hurt for endurance sake...those 6 hour games can be mental drainers.

6.) Never beat yourself up. That's a sure way to put up several 0s on the crosstable.

7.) Realize beforehand that you're not going to avoid bad positions in all your games. Remember that bad positions can also be won!

8.) Ignore tip #4.

I am grateful if someone wants to add some tips

Lately I played an official blitz tourney, I began good, beating some good players, but then I just lost my head ... I scored 5 zeros in a row ...
my big problem is I can't get over losing against weaker players, or losing in won positions, and when this happens I easily get emotional,
but then you get emotional, especially in blitz, the tournament is over for you, you lose like 30 % of your chess strength, after getting emotional. So I really recommend to myself to keep a cool head when losing a game, to accept it, it just happens, also against very weak players ...  I have to be like a machine , so I can play the next game at full strength.

Also when reading Rogozenko's Anti-sicilians book a note in the Alapin variation made an impresson on me:
"I was annoyed with those equal postions and tried to complicate matters. This usually ended up badly. Now that I am more experienced I can permit myself to give some advice for those who aren't happy with a quick draw: reach a level position and play on, but without crossing the line. Continue to play the equal position. If your opponent plays well until the end, then just let it be a draw."