We all play for money, it is part of the reason we play, the important thing is controlling your losses so it does not matter how much we win or lose.
Even if you only play free-rolls there is prize money involved, but people can play for fun money as well, I know this because some sites offer play money games like on
pokerstars and some play just for the fun of playing.
I spent months on Pokerstars playing with fun money chips, just for the experience of playing Poker, I was not very good at the time and used the fun games to become a better player, but you have to understand the difference in game play when it comes to playing for
real money.
Just as the game becomes more difficult when you go up in stakes, WRONG! the reality is it is your perception of the game that changes, not the game, Poker is Poker you cannot change the game, but how you play changes, because you are mentally aware of how much you could lose.
Playing for small stakes and playing for fun, takes that worry away from you, and you can enjoy playing the Game! Play to win for sure, but if you are only risking a tiny fraction of your
bankroll when you lose then where is the problem.
It is true there are better players out there and when you start to raise the stakes you will come up against them more and more, but when you can crush the Micro stake games, you are becoming a better player, and compete against them comfortably.
Learn to crawl before you try to walk, and take it one step at a time and soon you can run with the best.
When the fun Stops, STOP!