I would personally not consider starting to play professionally again unless I had set aside a full year's living expenses including mortgage, car payment, health insurance, and vacations/going out/etc. Even better would be to have a stable second source of income (not my wife's). If I were playing live for a living, I'd require two years.

Because women make less than men, so 6 months for a woman is less than 6 months for a man, so women need more months to have the same cushion.

I'll be honest, I really like reading anything timmer writes because it lets me feel appropriately superior.

Size of cushion doesn't depend on how much one makes in one's day job; it depends on one's expenses.

Are women's expenses greater than men's?

*ahem*

That's the joke.

JFC, if anyone with a family uses your recommendations, I'm calling CPS.

It seems like the fear of going broke or not having enough is and always be within us. Ive had times where I had a big savings chunk put away and it still didnt feel like enough to withstand a poker storm. The anxiety of going broke was still there. Its like inside we know that anything could happen, and no matter how much we save something could happen beyond what weve prepared for.

My humble suggestion and what has worked for me was to do this. Instead of saving the money for myself during good times and having it as a cushion for the just in case. I used that money to help immediate family, friends, co-workers,wifes family. Also used the same kind of generosity, with my time. This has been the only amount that has given me the security I was looking for. Because I always feel like there are lots of people who will help me when I need it. That feeling is priceless. Hope my different perspective helps

if my winrate was 3bb/hr the only fear i would have is that all the players in my game would go broke

1. bazinga

2. bout tree fiddy

3. in all seriousness the simple answer here is that if you think there is a chance you don't have enough, you don't.

Humor duly noted, but in all seriousness, job market discrimination by sex is probably a factor depending on one's choice fallback career. Therefore, a woman might take longer to find a job in some fields if she needed to abandon the poker gig. Frankly, in this climate I don't know that anyone can plan on finding a job in six months if things don't work out. (I realize that's not the reason for setting aside 6 months of expenses.)

How many people will ever actually be able to do that? Unless your making well above what you need a month for bills most will never have two years of bills covered in the bank. If it is your dream to go for it then do it. Don't let anyone talk you out of it.

I like 9-12 months depending on type of games played.

If you don't have enough to cover the rest of your life, you have no business of playing poker professionally.

LOL p4b gimmick account?

lol, So you have to be rich? Come on