Poker pot control: why do people scare themselves with big pots

honestly i see this a ton at mid stakes and even online with crypto tables. people will get a decent hand, see the pot get big after a couple streets, then basically shut down. like they'll just check or call when they should be going for value or applying pressure. seems like once the pot gets above a certain size, they start worrying more about losing what’s out there than about what the other guy might actually have.

i get pot control if you’re super deep and want to avoid making a massive mistake, but sometimes it just looks like fear. folks act like the money’s already theirs if it’s in the pot, but we know it’s not really yours till you rake it. maybe it’s just variance phobia, or maybe they’re so used to small ball from old school days they can’t adjust. i run into this too at times but have forced myself to review the tape and it’s mostly just nerves, not logic.

anyone else notice players talking themselves out of value just because the pot looks “too big”? is this a crypto scene thing or everywhere?