Since they both have come home, I have been gradually working back into some semblance of working poker into my daily existence. But it is a difficult task; between the feeding, diapering and entertaining of the newborn, trying to keep up with mundane tasks such as yard work and routine car maintenance and actually finding a moment to eat and sleep, I have had issues with keeping my poker game sharp. Here are some of the things that I have been doing so that I am not completely lost the next time I step into the poker room.

Read, Read, Read

I have pored through my poker library (and, admittedly, an unkempt pile of books in my office) and found materials that I haven’t yet read or didn’t read in depth the first time around. These books have been able to keep my poker mind sharp, albeit there is a huge step between reading something and applying it on the tables. Still, it is something that keeps your mind active in the game, even if you’re not playing it.

Surprisingly, the newborn has adapted quite well to this type of reading. For the first few pages, he watches me intently while I read the books out loud to him, almost as if he is looking for a tell. Then, as the book delves into complex mathematical equations, he drifts off into a bottle-induced slumber that many people do when you start talking about such issues.

My wife, on the other hand, is wary of such readings. While she would prefer that he hear “Horton Hears A Who,” she admits that any reading to the baby is good for him. If he can learn the skills of poker at an advanced stage, perhaps he will be able to provide for us in our old age. Additionally, there is a nice thing about a father and a son bonding over the game of poker.

Hit The Boards

Always a good way to keep your head in the game, the multitude of message boards out there are a way to get some poker discussion in your life when you have a couple of moments on the computer. Unfortunately, recent discussion has been over the issues surrounding online gaming in the United States, so you really have to search for worthwhile discussions. Once you find a good one, however, it can be something that challenges your thought processes on the game.

Family Heads Up

Although I can’t step out to the poker room on a whim anymore, that doesn’t mean that I can’t sit with my significant other and play a nice heads up match with her!

The heads up game will force you to play a variety of hands, keeping your skills relatively sharp for when you can get to a game. For this to work best; however, you both have to have no qualms about ripping each other’s heart out on the poker table. There should be no soft playing here! The purpose of the exercise is to maintain some of your poker sensibilities and to keep your mind sharp.

Fortunately, my wife and I have no problem eviscerating each other on the poker tables. To make things more interesting, we’ll put wagers on the outcome of our heads up matches (the next feeding or diapering, for example) and the competition can get a bit heated. Through our heads up activity, we are both keeping our game in shape, although we may not talk to each other for a bit afterward!

Poker On The Small Screen

The recent “almost live” broadcasts of the World Series of Poker were excellent opportunities to work on reading your opponent. Without the hole cards displayed, you actually had to sit and ruminate on what the players were doing, what they were holding and what they wanted their opponents to do. By placing yourself in those situations, you actually can exercise your mental acuity in poker and be ready for your next game.

These television broadcasts shouldn’t be limited to just those live broadcasts, however. With the World Poker Tour, the Heartland Poker Tour and other broadcasts, there are plenty of opportunities to sit with the little one on your lap and exercise your poker mind. Just make sure that you have set up something in front of the hole card displays so that you can’t see them and let your mind go to work.

Having a newborn in the house is magical, maddening, time-consuming and a happy time of your life. There isn’t any valid reason though that you can’t keep the things you enjoy – be it sports, cooking shows, reality TV or poker – a significant part of your continuing life. And…eventually you’ll be able to share your love of the game with a fresh new canvas!