diff --git a/src/org/zeromq/ZMQ.java b/src/org/zeromq/ZMQ.java
index 5f53ccb..e074f5b 100755
--- a/src/org/zeromq/ZMQ.java
+++ b/src/org/zeromq/ZMQ.java
@@ -710,6 +710,20 @@ public class ZMQ {
          * @return the index identifying this Socket in the poll set.
          */
         public int register (Socket socket, int events) {
+            //if free slot is present in the middle 
+            if(!freeSlots.isEmpty()) {
+                //then use it
+                int free = freeSlots.remove();
+
+                this.sockets[free] = socket;
+                this.events[free] = (short)events;
+
+                //increment actual size of elements to poll
+                asize++;
+
+                return free;
+            }
+            //or else use next available slot
             if (this.next >= this.size) {
                 // Compute new size for internal arrays.
                 int nsize = this.size + SIZE_INCREMENT;
@@ -735,10 +749,34 @@ public class ZMQ {
 
             this.sockets [this.next] = socket;
             this.events [this.next] = (short) events;
+
+            asize++;
+
             return this.next++;
         }
 
         /**
+         * Unregisters a Socket for polling on the specified events.
+         * @param socket 
+         *          the Socket to be unregistered
+         */
+        public void remove (Socket socket) {
+            //find the given socket and remove it
+            for(int i = 0; i < this.next; ++i) {
+                if(this.sockets[i] == socket) {
+                    this.sockets[i] = null;
+                    this.events[i] = 0;
+                    this.revents[i] = 0;
+
+                    freeSlots.add(i);
+                    asize--;
+ 
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        /**
          * Get the socket associated with an index.
          * 
          * @param index
@@ -832,7 +870,7 @@ public class ZMQ {
             for (int i = 0; i < this.next; ++i) {
                 this.revents [i] = 0;
             }
-            return run_poll (this.next, this.sockets, this.events, this.revents, tout);
+            return run_poll (this.asize, this.sockets, this.events, this.revents, tout);
         }
 
         /**
@@ -931,9 +969,12 @@ public class ZMQ {
         private long timeout = -2; // mark as uninitialized
         private int size = 0;
         private int next = 0;
+        private int asize = 0;  //actual elements to poll
         private Socket [] sockets = null;
         private short [] events = null;
         private short [] revents = null;
+        //when socket is removed from polling, free slots are stored here
+        private java.util.LinkedList<Integer> freeSlots = new java.util.LinkedList<Integer>();
 
         private static final int SIZE_DEFAULT = 32;
         private static final int SIZE_INCREMENT = 16;