backyard vs pro judging

Hello folks. We've recently done our first two competitions and I have to say we've done pretty well and had some decent scores. That being said they were both in the backyard division.

My question is this. Does anyone know if judges tend to be more forgiving for backyard cooks than pro? Our chicken and rib scores weren't that far away from what some of the pro guys had so I just wondered if the scores would have been the same if we had been on the pro side with the same judges.

I appreciate any input as it will help us decide on how soon to move up.

Well I do know that the last one used the same cbj's for both divisions. But you're right our first place chicken would most likely not have been so high.

Well I do know that the last one used the same cbj's for both divisions. But you're right our first place chicken would most likely not have been so high.