It's a dreary life. You probably won't make it Most wanabes fail because they don't have all the qualifications. Unless you are an excellent player with a big bankroll and extreme discipline, you haven't got a chance. Then you need the inner strength to cope with the inevitable losing periods, people's scorn for professionals, and the inescapable loneliness. Not many people have all these attributes.
Many big names have to supplement their poker winnings through writing, business, or other sources.
Hayano, Sklansky, and Malmuth found that an excellent professional can average about one big bet per hour in middle-sized games, less at larger limits. The unavoidable losing sessions keep the average down. If you are smart and disciplined enough to be an excellent player, you can probably make much more money doing something else. First, they rarely get all those highly publicized dollars. They have to sell or trade shares in each other or make deals with backers because they can't bankroll themselves.