We can play 25K hands at 25NL at 4 ptBB/100 hands, and that will take us from $500 to $1000. By the time I've reached that point, I might feel like I can compete at 50NL, but I won't be comfortable with only 20 buy-ins. By the same token, I might feel like I'm moving along slowly if I try to play another 20K hands to get another $500.

Instead, if we keep 1 properly-bankrolled MTT (50-100 buy-ins, depending on tourney size) mixed in with our cash tables, we can occasionally see nice leaps in our bankroll while taking advantage of the huge edge we have over the average tournament player. If you think there are some bad fish in your cash games, they're at least twice as bad (and 3 times more abundant) in tournaments. Everyone who watches the WSOP has the idea that they are good enough to win a tournament when they actually have no idea at all about poker strategy.

I started out in SNGs and MTTs, as I think a lot of players did. Once I started playing some cash, I actually saw my MTT play improve, as I got more accustomed to playing deeper stacks. It's like playing micro stakes cash and having fold equity.

Now I agree with almost everyone else that cash games is "real poker" and is where we really develop and improve our game. But if we're not playing in any MTTs, I think we're missing out on a huge edge and a very profitable opportunity. And there's nothing like the satisfaction of FTing or winning a big tournament.