smithy
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The question is rather complicated. First, let's leave "for a living" out of the equation.
$4,000 is probably enough money to play $1/2 NL Hold'em as your regular game, if you play well enough to beat the game, and you want to minimize your chances of going broke. Bankroll management is, of course, a personal issue. Depending on your tolerance for risk, and the sort of rewards you seek, you may be able to play with half that amount, or use $4,000 to step up to $2/$5. The more ambitious you are, the more you face the possiblity of going broke... but also the better chances you have of making a bundle and having enough for real security going forward.
Now, as for playing for a living, you've got to consider that your living expenses must be covered. Every time you take money out of your bankroll to pay a hotel bill, or buy a new shirt or a round of drinks, you're eating your bankroll, and bankroll is capital.
I'm really not sure that you can safely play for a living without $10,000, and I also think that $1/$2 in brick and mortar casinos has to be considered a stepping stone to $2/$5. You've got to rise at least to $2/$5 in decent time. For $1/$2 or below, you'd be better playing online in your spare time while working a job to build the bankroll you need to graduate to higher stakes.
That doesn't mean you *must* have $10,000 or more to try to go pro. You can take $4,000, or maybe even less, and take a shot. The less you've got in your pocket, the more of a gamble your shot is. But if things go your way in the first month, you can find yourself sitting on $12,000 - $15,000 soon enough, and then you'll really have a cushion of security for when things get rough. Don't spend it on anything beyond necessities.
I'd say, get your feet wet, feel things out for a week or two at comfy stakes, give yourself occassional days off from gambling, watch TV, get a feel for the life... then get serious. Get into the $2/$5 games, take your shot, and say "$12,000 or bust." If you get yourself a bankroll for that level, and still have your bankroll intact after two months on top of covering expenses (or even better, see it grow), then you're home. Otherwise, take whatever's left, walk away for a while, and save up for your next shot.
By the way "$12,000 or bust" is not an attitude that dictates your strategy at the table. How much risk tolerance you have in terms of money risked is a completely different question from how you play the game. Even if the language I use suggests wild abandon, that doesn't mean you *play* recklessly. Even some solid players can seem completely divorced from the concept of money, while some maniac players would never dare play with money that matters.
Good luck!
 Posted 787 day ago
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