[grandgnu]

Uh, you might want to consider somewhere between 3-6 months living expenses, in addition to your bankroll as well.

Right now I'm going semi-pro. I don't rely on poker to pay the bills, but I take it more serious than a recreational hobby. I have been a winning player this year (slight loser last year, kept statistics, but I've studied A LOT more this year and improved my game quite a bit)

I'm not making enough to live off of, but I'm enjoying it and it's profitable. I work, as does my soon-to-be-wife. We have no children and no intention of having them, so that makes it easier.

Since you have a wife and kids and mortgage, I recommend the following:

1. Leave the wife and kids

2. Buy a dog, you need some type of companionship, plus he can protect you when you sleep on the streets in the back alley

3. Hang around casinos wearing "urban" clothing and majorly tacky "bling". Harass the regulars until they begin staking you, then forget to pay them back, or complain how you're "stuck" and can't pay the 100 bucks back (while you have 3 grand worth of chips in play)

4. Stop shaving regularly, the scruffy look is uber-pro

5. Start eating those ramon noodles, it'll prepare you for life as a poker pro and college student

6. Find some gold digging chick who will only stick around when you're winning. This will help you to play better, since you won't want to lose the nookie

7. Develop a coke habit and rob convenience stores and gas stations, then claim to be a "victim of circumstance"

8. Place 9th in the WSOP for $1 million (U.S.) and then casually remark how it was only worth your time to place in the top 3, and that this million will only pay off a few markers.

9. Blame various psychological disorders and medications for the cause of your outbursts at the tables.