its not a choice of one way or another like you make out. you dont have to choose between grinding the same stakes and making a basic living from the game for the rest of your life or taking a shot at the higher stakes risking everything or broke.
in rounders it was set at a time before internet poker where games were hard to find and you couldnt just load up the internet and fire up whatever stakes you want.
you make out about someone playing 50NL and suddenly making a jump to much higher stakes which you do not define, but if your a consistent strong winner at 50NL for example you dont then have to choose between 50Nl forever or taking a shot at 500NL or 1000NL or higher etc.
instead you take gradual steps okay you can consistently crush 50NL in your example then you build up your bankroll and eventually you try 100NL you may succeed or run bad if you succeed you continue and hopefully eventually 100NL becomes your limit you crush and then one day you try 200NL and continue etc and eventually as you improve one day you might truly find yourself at 100,000NL and living the rock star live so to speak but it will likely be a long grind before that. maybe you dont succeed at 100NL due to bad luck or been outplayed and you need to go back to 50NL and recoup your loses and build up again and take your shot again improving and adapting, then maybe you need to go through the same again when you hold your own and eventually you fight for 200NL and finally get to that standard.
or if in tournaments maybe you start playing $5 tournies and winning consistently and work your way up to $10 and then $20 and eventually one day you find yourself playing $10000 buy ins.
poker is consistently 2 steps forward and one step back. The vast vast vast majority of players will never get good enough to be a regular winner at $5000 NL or $10000 buyin tournaments but many of those who try and work their way up could still find a very nice comfortable income if they get somewhere between.
I guess you want to avoid been the reg who constitantly yoyos up and down stakes and never cashes out and is basically only winning money to hand it to others at the higher stakes you need to cash out along the way and make sure your still always grinding a profit. but nothing wrong in taking shots at higher stakes just do it sensibly, doesnt have to be a choice between grinding 50NL forever or risking it all online for glory or busto their is a balanced middle ground between these two extremes.
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