1) Playing against tough opponents can also mean that any mental game issues, like tilt, confidence, performance anxiety, etc, will become worse when you play. On the one hand that might motivate you to spend more time working on your mental game, it also might be too risky and thus not a good thing to do.

2) Playing against tough opponents, is very similar to a tough workout. Let’s say you hire a personal trainer to push you. The force and effort to get in those last few reps when your body is exhausted is massive because it is when you are working the hardest that you have the most to gain. ONLY if you rest. Muscles worked out in the gym, grow when resting. Think of playing against a tough opponent as a workout.

3) Keeping with the workout analogy, the gains are also only possible when you aren’t pushing yourself TOO hard. If you can only bench press150lbs once, then pushing yourself to lift 200lbs is not only impossible you can also injure yourself trying. In poker that principal also applies to playing tougher games. So don’t just play anyone, play someone who’s going to challenge you to step up, but only a step you have a chance of actually taking.

4) Another of Phil’s points was that you aren’t going to get any better by just playing weak opponents all the time. That’s actually not true; you get better at playing against weak opponents playing against weaker opponents. If I were designing an ideal training regiment – it would include you playing against weak opponents with the same intensity as a tough one so you can also INCREASE how well you can play against weaker players. Since those matches also challenge you to think more deeply, it’s another way to improve, which makes you better overall and thus able to play better against tougher opponents.

Some comments.

1) I think this is a good thing. It makes you aware of your weaknesses and forces you to improve.

4) I actually dont think this is much of a factor. You will never really see many players who can crush good players, but cannot crush weak players. The problem with playing weak players is the fact that they simply do not ever challenge you to think deeply. You can make mistakes, autopilot, half ass, w/e and you will still win because they make so many mistakes.

I strongly believe that in any form of competition you will only get as good as you are forced to. Everyday you either get better or get worse. You have to challenge yourself if you want to get better. From here on out poker is only going to get tougher and tougher. Your longevity in this game is going to be determined by your edge over your opponents, who are only getting better. IF you can’t stay ahead there will come at time when you are going to be able to compete.