A friend of mine writes for CardPlayer magazine, and has interviewed everyone from high stakes TV name pros to the everyday casino grinders--
At the average $5/$5 game in Los Angeles ($300-$500 buy-in), the solid, winning pros make around $80k per year, give or take $20k in either direction. Some break six figures but it's rare. To make more than $150k, you really need to jump to higher stakes games which are obviously very pro-heavy.
Also--
You need to RISK A LOT to EARN A LITTLE.
Watch some of the grinder blogs such as Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme. They always enter for the max buy-in -- usually around $1k -- and make sure they're topped off, so on any given night figure they're risking anywhere from $500 - $3,500. Yet their wins are usually under $500. You're basically risking $1,000 per day to make $200.
Here Brad Owen -- who has around 40,000 subscribers and is one of the most popular poker vlogs on YouTube -- made just under $40,000 in 2017. See his stats at 26:30:
Doug Polk also did a video breaking down earnings:
And don't forget about RAKE!! It is a HUGE factor!
A friend of mine plays poker online in
New Jersey. Plays lower stakes, and plays almost everyday recreationally but takes the game very seriously. Last year he had a net profit of $3,000. But he spent around $30k in rake. Yes, 30k...
Sometimes it is harder to beat smaller stakes over time because the rake is so great.
Bart Hanson (owner of UpSwing poker, regular face on TV high stakes
poker games) said in a video once that even
Phil Ivey could not beat small stakes casino games because the rake/drop makes them unbeatable.
LASTLY,
Tournament math doesn't make sense in the long run.
Check this ~*informative*~ article which breaks it down:
https://deadspin.com/why-its-hard-for-poker-pros-to-make-a-living-playing-l-1526098295
You need to risk something like $240k to make $60k, and that's if you are one of the top players travelling around the world constantly. And you run good.
Vanessa Selbst, the highest-ranked female tournament player in the world, only cashed for $120k in 2016-2017 COMBINED, and god knows how much she put down for buy-ins.
https://www.pokernews.com/news/2018/01/vanessa-selbst-retires-pro-poker-player-29628.htm
--
Of course there are poker players who beat the odds. I know a few grinders who do reasonably well and are able to support themselves comfortably. Just remember most aren't making as much as it seems, and the deck is stacked against you (pun intended!)