I know, another one of those going pro threads... but I'd like to hear from some people who may have been in a similar situation or have some insight on playing for a living.

A little background: I'm a long time lurker and occasional poster, however, since I'm going to be discussing win rates and money won in this thread, I started a new account to do it anonymously.

I started playing in Feb/Mar 2003. I made about $20K in 2003, $60K in 2004, and have made about $160K so far this year. I would guess I average about 15-20 hours per week (normally around 1 and half to 2 hours in the a.m. prior to work and 1-3 on the weekends).

I’m 33 and a lawyer with a firm in Arizona. I make $110,000 plus bonus-- which is typically between $5K and $10K each year. I’ve been with the firm for five years. It’s a good place to work as far as law firms go, but I really don’t enjoy the stuff that I’m doing (and haven’t for a couple years now). At the same time, the hours are pretty reasonable, and I probably put in 45-50 hours a week on average. If I left my job for a year or two, I could probably find another one pretty easily, though it would hard to find one that pays the same considering the gap in my resume.

A couple other notes that may be improtant: Between my wife and I we have about $400K in savings (including retirement accounts). So I have plenty of money saved up for expenses and wouldn't be hurt by a bad couple months.

On the other hand my wife and I just had our first baby less than two months ago and are having a house built which will be ready in April 2006. This will obviously add significantly to our expenses.

Speaking of expenses, I would estimate that they’ll be around $5500 to $6500 by spring of next year. Its a little hard estimate for sure, because I really don't know how much the baby will add to our costs. I just figure he's going to be pretty expensive. But anyway, that estimate includes the new mortgage payment and me paying for my family’s insurance (my firm does that now).

As for earnings, I anticipate that if I played more often (with results similar to my current averages) I could earn maybe $25K to $35K per month.

With all that in mind, here is where I’m looking for some help: the thought of playing professionally seems great to me. I like the idea of the freedom, the idea of never having to do the stuff I'm doing now again, the shorter hours, more money, etc. However, I’m wondering if there are some things I’m missing. For example:

* Have any of you who have worked regular jobs for years
found it difficult to stay at home and just play poker? (or have any of you quit your job only to realize that you hated playing poker as a pro?)


* When you played full time, did your win rates stay the same as when you were part time only? Did putting in more time cause your play to deteriorate? (Should I adjust my estimated monthly earn down?)

* I often see discussions from pros here who struggle to put in more than 25 hours. Were you anticipating playing more hours when you decided to play full time but weren’t able to do it?

* Did the fact that poker was your sole source of income add any additional pressure or effect your play?

* Any other important issues arise with respect to playing for a living that you didn’t anticipate prior to taking the plunge?


Thanks for your help with this.