A lot of poker players hesitate to move up levels either in cash games or in tournaments, mistakenly believing that players are better because the stakes are higher. You will find the exact same mix of good and bad whether you`re playing $20 buy-ins or $200 buy-ins.
In fact, based on my own experience at WPT events where the buy-ins are thousands of dollars you still run into people who feel that they can call a big re-raise preflop with AJ let alone AQ.
We tend to equate bankroll size with ability to play but those guys plonking down $10,000 to play in a major tournament did not necessarily start out with $100 and build it up by crushing games at every level. Chances are they have the $10k lying around (who are these people?) and have been bitten by the poker bug.
This is great news for serious players who need to trust in their own ability and put aside the money on the table. This is the trick used by top poker pros who routinely put aside the real-world implications of all that cash. Instead they treat the chips as tools with which to win the game, and that`s the mindset you need.
I stress this to anyone who wants to learn, because if you play at a higher level and run into a weak player who sucks out on you it can be extremely frustrating and deflating. It should be neither of course, but it takes a lot of self-belief to have this attitude!
