Is there any game more misplayed than this one by the average player?

[Mendacious]

IMHO the reason is that split-pot games are an order of magnitude more complicated that single pot games, and PL is more complicated than either L, or NL. Put it together, and this game requires tremendously more strategic awareness than most. For that reason I think even though it isn't that hard to gain enough knowlege to play adequately pre-flop, and not that hard to play multi-way post flop, MOST people really do not have the where-with-all to play isolated for their stack post-flop-- which is the key to this game at higher levels.