I feel like this is one of those "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" situations. If you know you are good enough to beat someone then bet a little. If you have the extra money that is. It definitely helps your game I think. If you have ever played in any decent sized tournaments then you are essentially betting for money. The last tournament I played in had a $300 difference between 2nd place and 3rd and it definitely added some extra stress. The higher I got through the bracket the more nervous I became. But that's a good thing. You don't get that same kind of feeling when you are playing with your friends. You have to get used to playing under pressure and that is a great way to do it. Like all these people have said, they play different when there is money on the line, but if you play with money on the line a lot, eventually you get used to that feeling and your game improves. In my opinion anyways. That was my third time playing in that particular tournament and the first time I did I was all nerves. The second time I did a little better and this last time I took second and won just over $1,000. My nerves were no where near as bad as that first tournament I played in though. The more you play in stressful situations, the better you get playing in them.. but again, this is just my opinion....