What top players do in Age of Empires II:

They keep resources (money) at zero by spending them frequently unless they have something more expensive and more urgent to buy.

They are greedy because they want to pay the same amount (or less if possible) for better units (or upgrade them), which is why technology can be more urgent than creating more units.

They are very risk averse, but don't look like it. The more talented a player is, the more risky some of his decisions or actions may appear, but they're not riskier when you take talent into account. That being said, they do sometimes make very bold moves, even in tournaments, because they think the opponnent is not going to expect it.

Alright time to go back to being a villager.