As any first-time parent will tell you, having a child is a world-changer. No days off. No bar-hopping (unless you get a sitter, in which case it’s game on). But, you have a little one who thinks the world of you and relies on you to understand everything from talking to walking. The basic life functions.

When you’re a poker player, having a kid is even tougher in some respects. You’re used to a lifestyle in which you can go anywhere and do anything at any moment. Suddenly, you need to pay attention to a sleep schedule and remember to bring essentials like diapers and wipes, else it’s going to be a really long, smelly day. But, the freedom of being able to play poker 24/7 makes the transition to being a dad much more tenable than in other professions.

UK poker player Shane ‘AKJMoscow’ Mossop is just that: a first-time dad. His son, Jack, is a wee four months old.

“Jack is starting to find his voice and develop a personality,” he said. “He smiles and giggles in response to us, which is great. Having a kid has made me more determined to improve my game in order to get results and provide for my family.”

“When he was first born, I wanted to be able to do as much for Jack and my fiancée Lindsey as I could, which meant juggling poker and family time,” Mossop said. “When Lindsey recovered, I was able to commit more time to poker. She is very supportive and understanding of me working from home. Lindsey is due to return to work very soon, so we are in the process of discussing a suitable working schedule for myself, which will fit around child care for Jack and Lindsey’s own work commitments.”

Mossop’s volume online has taken a hit over the last four months, but he’s still the 50th-ranked player in the UK and reached an all-time high of #65 worldwide in the PocketFives Rankings in 2012. He just passed $1 million in winnings on PokerStars under the user name ‘Mossop7‘ and just passed $2 million in career cashes industry-wide.

Once his fiancée returns to work, finding a steady time to play poker will become much more difficult. Nevertheless, he has a plan. Whether that plan works remains to be seen.

“Due to me working late nights into the early hours, Lindsey’s mom will care for Jack first thing in the morning on most days,” he said. “I then intend to take over midday until Lindsey returns home from work in the late afternoon. There is obviously flexibility to this, which will allow me to work early some days if I wish to. I intend to have two days off a week so we can enjoy some family time together.”

Naps will also help his cause since he can fire up tournaments for at least a couple of hours while Jack snoozes. He’ll take Monday off to recoup from the Sunday grind and also take off on Saturdays, which he’ll use to spend quality time with the family.

Speaking of the grind, he had a rock solid 2011 in which he won a WCOOP bracelet in a $320 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max Shootout for $62,000, won the Sunday Supersonic for $31,000, and won the Full Tilt Double Deuce for $30,000. This year, he finished third in the partypoker Heavyweight Main Event and has three wins in online MTTs already this month to raise his career total to 98.

To grow his poker mind, Mossop is friendly with some of the UK’s top names, including former #14-ranked Billy ‘BillyChat’ Chattaway and current #19-ranked Jamie ‘EzGame89’ O’Connor.

“I regularly speak to a few top UK players like those two guys,” he said. “Also, I undertake regular hand history reviews with a group of players and I’ve received some great coaching from players at a good level. I’d like to say a big thanks to my backer, ‘demetri1978‘, who has spent a lot of time and effort helping myself and others in the group improve our game. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be doing as well as I am.”