As a player residing in the United States, what is the best way to keep my poker skills sharp without access to real-money online play at sites like PokerStars or FullTilt?
What if I live in a state with no legal cardrooms, or live prohibitively far from one?
Study.
Find a poker training site that lets you download their videos, and get as many as you can find for your game. Then don't just watch them, but study them. At every point a decision is made, ask yourself if you would make the same decision or not. Take notes. If you continued your subscription with the training site beyond the initial month to do the massive downloading, then ask questions about the video.
Go through old hand-histories with a fine-tooth comb. As poker players, we often neglect spending time to review in favor of getting in more hands. Now is the time to buck up and review the hell out of all the hands you've put in over the past few years. If you don't find several leaks that you could fix upon returning to the tables, then you're not looking hard enough.
I'm sorry, but I think playing without betting real money (online or not) won't keep your skills sharp. The decisions you make while not risking any money could differ significantly from the ones you make while risking your money.
It's okay to play for free to get a grasp of the basics, but I think it's not a good idea if you want to take your poker abilities to the next level.
Well, I took this habit from a friend. I suggest to gather around 4-6 players / friends and play every week a game. We put down for the winner a small wage to keep everyone on the edge and active, then we play and the winner takes it all and gives the rest of the players another round of beer for example.
Keep in mind that playing poker in play money probably wont achieve the desired affect (sharping your skills) because the quality of these games. Players who play with play money only play for fun and doesn't care, so the won't improve your skills probably.
