This is part 2 of my post on playing poker for a living:

* You probably should have around 12 months of living expenses in the bank...  just so you can have some peace of mind if you do run into a bad stretch.  Actually, you really only have 6 months...  because if you go thru a 6 month run-bad, you probably need the other 6 months to look for a "real" job.

* Bankroll Management is crucial.  You should have over 100 BUY-INS for the level you wish to play professionally.  Obviously, this depends on what game you play (you need more buyins for PLO vs HE, or HU vs FR) and your style of play.  See my "Beginner Tips" for bankroll management tips.

* Your goal should be reasonably stable income.  Obviously, there are many ways to make money at poker.  But IMO, if you are playing for a living, income stability is key.  If you had the choice of playing 100K hands of nl100 or 10K hands of nl1000 a month at the same win rate (let's say you bumhunt the higher stake), you should choose the lower stake.  You have the Law of Large Numbers working for you working at the lower stake.  Even a good player can go thru a 100K hand break even.  At the lower stake, it'll be just one bad month.  At the higher stake, your 12 month cushion will have disappeared.  A similar concept applies if you are a 1ptbb winner at nl400 and a 2ptbb winner at nl200.  Same expected value, but go with the lower stake for lower variance.

* You should not only do a daily review of your sessions, but you should also do a weekly and/or monthly review.  Think about the areas you are improving on and the areas you think you need further development in.  You should also be critical of any extended break-even stretches or downswings.  Because every so often, you need to take a look around so that you can see where you've been and where you're going.

* Speaking of where you are going, you should be going *somewhere*.  That is, the quality of poker goes up every month.  If you don't get better, you are getting worse.

* Set aside 5-10 hours a week for non-play-related activities.  This includes hand review, watching videos, doing research, getting coaching, etc.  This is also your buffer time during the week, when you may not feel like playing.  Just because you're not playing doesn't mean you can't be productive.

* You need to take a few minutes after each session to settle down after your session.  Close your eyes and take off the mental suit and tie and once you leave your office, what happened at the tables shouldn't leave with you.  At the end of the day, poker is your career but it's not your life.