Trying to chip up early is really a mistake that inexperienced or wild poker players tend to make. Here's an excerpt of an article from cardsinner that explains in more detail:
"In a typical tournament , you will notice far looser play in the early levels of the game than in most other stages. Many pots in the early stages will frequently be contested by 3, 4, 5 or more players. It is much harder to get reads on multiple opponents than it is to get a read on a single opponent. Also, more players in a hand increases your likelihood of coming up on the short end of the stick at the showdown. For these reasons, multi-way pots should typically be avoided. The low blinds in the early stages tempt many players to enter into pots with mediocre holdings in the hopes of nailing a miracle flop and taking down a "big" pot. But if you put it in perspective, "big" pots in the early stages of a tournament aren't all that big. If you've ever spent a few hours sitting in an online tournament, you surely understand that once those blinds hit heights like 6,000/12,000, that "big" 3,000 pot seems pretty paltry. It's now only a fraction of a blind. Still, this isn't enough to keep boatloads of players from risking their tournament lives for the measly $20, $30, or $60 blinds. The lower the buy-in for the tournament, the more prominent the loose play in the early stages will be. In a freeroll tournament, wildly loose play will dominate the early stages of the game. The opening stages are the best times to stay tight and avoid the big multi-way pots without a monster of a hand."
