In many ways he is right. It is a lot harder to win in real money games than it is to go far in a big tournament. When you see a World Poker Tour final table on TV there is often an amateur player, or an internet qualifier at the table, who is guaranteed a big prize. If it was a cash game the novice player usually wouldn't stand a chance.

The biggest difference between cash games and tournaments is the blinds. In a cash game the blinds always stay the same while they are constantly raised in a tournament. A player's chip stack becomes smaller and smaller for every hand in a tournament, even if he is not in a single pot. If you have $1000 in chips, and the blinds are $5/$10, you are in good shape, but if the blinds are $300/$600 you are on the verge of elimination. The chip stack is always in relation to the blinds and players know that they sooner or later will push all-in and put their tournament life at risk. This doesn't happen in a cash-game where you don't have to fight for survival. If a player would go broke he can just buy in for new chips and continue playing.

Sometimes you see tournament players try their luck against more skilled cash game players. If the tournament player doesn't change his game he very often goes broke. Many use tournament strategy in cash games and over-bet the good hands, just to see the opponent flip over the nuts. If a player has AK in a tournament and the flop is 2 6 K, he often has to push all of his chips in, and if he is beaten it's just tough luck. The hand is just too good to get away from. In a cash-game players are able to get rid of a monster hand like that if they have strong indications that their opponent has aces or a set.

In a cash-game, the best players are able to play marginal hands that should definitely be folded in a tournament. If a less skilled cash-game player raises pre-flop, and a better player would knows that his opponent is holding two aces, he could still call with a hand like 7 8 suited. The better player knows that the guy with the aces probably will over-play that hand. If the better player makes a straight, flush, or even two pair or trips he probably wins a huge pot. Therefore, he can make the call even when he knows he is a big underdog.

Cash-game players also tend to have a better feel for the game. They are better at reading their opponents and see if they are weak or strong. In a Tournament, players play their own cards; they wait for a hand they are prepared to go all the way with, and then start throwing chips into the pot. They wait for a high pair, AK or something they are willing to risk all their chips with. Cash-game players, on the other hand, focus more on their opponents hands. If someone knows that he can make his opponent to lay down his hand, it doesn't really matters what the hole cards are.

Whether you play tournaments or cash games, make sure you adapt the right strategy. Just remember that it is two different types of games.