Saying all 1/2NL players are fish is totally wrong.
I've been playing a private 1/2NL cash game with people who are very good. The table is very hard to beat.

But this weekend, I played some 1/2NL at a casino.
Wow, it was a very different game.

All the fish behavior stuff I've read on these boards finally came true!

People chasing straights with 1 out while hero was betting 50% into the pot.

People calling pot sized with bottom pair....

I tripled my buy in. A good session.

Now, I know what people mean by 1/2 players.
But, private 1/2NL cash games are a different beast.
These guys have been playing for 10 years some of them.
And have read all the books.

[ ] Question in OP

I hear what you're saying, though I can't directly relate. Feels good to reach that "aha" moment.

My home game is more ridiculous than a casino but alas it only runs once every couple of months due to the hen pecked not getting a pass more often.

Like everything in poker, it depends.

No-one says that.

Not all home games are like that.

Not all casino games are like that (though a lot are).

Yes. It won't run like that every time, enjoy it when it does.

I sense you haven't played for long and your soul hasn't been crushed yet.... yet

I find private games to be a bit more....tilty and drug-infested...

Private games move slower cause there's more newer players who are friends of people there.

If there is one constant about all private games, it is the constant of ego massaging and circle jerking of how good their private pool of players are as compared to "everyone else".

I mean, have you ever heard someone from a private game say, "Man, we all suck" . Nope, it is always, "Man, we are all awesome:

Now, I'm sure there are some private games out there in which the players are good. But on the whole, 98% of them are fish farms.

Typically, what happens is that the private pool just falls into a stagnant type of play since there is no cross pollination or influx of fresh blood. So they all end up more or less either playing the same or falling into established niches and types of play.

In the interest of disclosure, I've played in about 7 private games, and each of them were fish farms with 1 or 2 decent thinking +EV players. In each case, the +EV players guarded that game like a mother bear guarding cubs. If you were a fish, they welcome you to the game. If you are a +EV player, they ensure you aren't invited back .

Just sayin...