Call me naive, but I am just amazed at the number of people here in Southern California who play poker for a living. They don't get their names on TV or on websites or anywhere in the media because they don't win million dollar championships or gold and diamond bracelets or even gold rings. But they earn a living from the game and depend on it.
Some aren't successful at all and literally sleep in their cars outside of the casinos here in the Los Angeles area, eat the casino food when they get some comps, or when they can scrap up a few bucks for the discounted meals for "seated players."
Some are more successful than you might think and can "win" five to ten thousand dollars or more a month playing cash games with no one to tax them, and no one keeping track of their income, but at the same time earning no vacation time or having any health care or other benefits. Some of the pros will sit down at a game, and when they win $200 or $300 they'll call it quits. $300 a day for 30 days is $9,000.
Some of these pros are actually semi-pros because they have a "regular job" on the side. Some of these semi pros even own businesses and play poker all day -- and all night -- because someone else is "minding the store."