Making the first step to go pro may involve less capital as it is understood it is a risky undertaking. But I would not call someone out of the woods with a bank less than 100k.

Another factor is a person's job & income prospects. Leaving any decent paying job to take such a chance would be foolish. If someone works at TacoBell and runs up 20K on a lucky streak, why not give going pro a shot. He can get another Taco Bell job when he goes bust rather easily.

Buying the house was pretty risky. I find it amazing you were able to get financing without a stable job. To be clear: you will have periods of six to eight months that show an overall loss. Are you going to use funds from your bankroll to pay your house note? When I rented I would pay my rent 12 months in advance. Near the end of 2002 I paid house notes 12 months in advance. At this very moment I am down $30,000 for the year. Last year I won over 200K. The year before that I barely won 20K. This is the kind of variance you can look forward to, even if you have to divide the figures by 5.

To be secure as a professional gambler you really need to be financially secure enough that the only thing that losses really affect is the number of years you'll have to play before you can retire.