I think the poker game is an illusion, because we always think that we will win all the tournaments we play and most of the time we will be in the first leg.
Basically, you are saying that many players have
unrealistic expectations. I'm sure many do. You must know that if you expect to make a significant portion of your income from
gambling then it is going to be very difficult. You will need to play, study, play more, deal with the big ups and downs and manage your
bankroll effectively. Even then, some people will just never get all the pieces in place. However, I believe that if you have realistic expectations and have a true passion for the game, it can be profitable on some level. One thing you have to keep in mind about tournaments is that you will generally need at least a little bit of luck to go far in one. The only way they end is when one person has every chip, and the rising blinds/antes force the action to help accomplish this. Your stack must be consistently growing and you are forced to play in a way that is opposite to the patient, slow grind of cash games. You should only expect to cash a small percentage of the tournaments you play in, so you should try to make those cashes count.