Going pro

Advantages of becoming a pro

 * Flexibility: Many poker pros despise working set hours for "the man".  They highly value being able to set their own schedule.

Disadvantages of becoming a pro

 * Instability: Because of variance you will never know how much income to plan on for a given month; in fact, unless you're playing a huge number of hands, you might even lose money in a month!  Adequate bankroll will cushion this impact, but it's still important to consider.
 * Career impact: Although poker carries less stigma than it once did, it's not exactly beneficial to have a prolonged period of poker-related self-employment on your resume.

Print references

 * Blade, Mark. Professional Poker.  Brownfield Publishing, 2005.
 * Sklansky, David.  Gambling for a Living: How to Make $100,000 a Year.   Henderson, NV: Two Plus Two Publishing, May 1997.   (Amazon)

Discussion threads

 * I'm thinking of quitting my job (2+2, November 2005) - one of many along these lines
 * Playing Professionally SSNL (2+2, April 2006)
 * Playing online for a living week 30 (2+2, November 2003)