Quote Originally Posted by taipan168
I agree. Money, even a small amount thereof, is an essential element of poker. Poker without money is some other game.
Money doesn't just make the fish we play against play in a more reasonable way, it makes us play better. For example, I can hardly stand to play NL2, 'cuz bets of a nickel or dime just don't mean anything to me. I play pretty well at NL10, but my best game is at NL25, where nearly every bet matters. I'm not scared money, but I'm focused.

Odd as it seems, it is somewhat more important to play at stakes that matter to you than it is to find somewhere where the fish don't play crazy.