Nice post.

1 thing I didn't quite agree with was taking shots. I know you said taking shots when not properly rolled is bad, which of course is not debateable, but I don't see the harm when you are properly rolled in taking shots instead of just jumping in.

There are things to adjust to when moving up, and being properly rolled is not always enough. Even if you have the game for the next level, losing a stack will seem (at first) to hurt a lot more. If you have 4-8 tables of the new level up this could be very daunting. You're playing with new big blinds and have to adjust bet sizes pre and post flop, you've a lot to think about and as you're human you're probably a little nervous/pumped because you want the move up to go well.

One cooler and it's possible to tilt. The play might be different to what you've seen and you may need to adjust your game. Suddenly you've got 8-tables open, you're lost, and you lose a lot of money (cos not many have the psychological metal to quit early in that situation). Lastly playing for larger amounts of money will make you play somewhat scared at least for a short time. (By scared I mean your utility for money is not quite linear).

Taking shots is a low cost way of trying to sort these wrinkles out cheaper than just jumping in. When you're used to playing for the extra money then you forget about it's magnitude and focus on the game. They're a way of preparing you for the full move, so that when it happens you're ready mentally as well as having the roll and the skill.

Just to reiterate, I totally agree taking a shot when under-rolled is the worst idea ever.