Poker multi-tabling done right

Multi-tabling done right
Maybe the greatest asset of online poker

Poker. By seeing more hands during the same time-frame, you automatically increase the amount of good hands you´re about to see and therefore the amount of action and fun you´re having.

2)   More action while still playing in a smart way:

Of course, a lot of guys have a tendency to increase the amount of hands they´re involved in by widening the range of the hands they´re playing. Let´s be honest, do you think that works in the long term? Right, I don´t think so, too. Those players usually turn into the calling-stations/fishes/maniacs on the table and are the ones that make sure that you like playing Poker even more. If you are playing on a beginner´s level and you want to play intelligent Poker, moving away from the tight-aggressive playing style and the starting hands chart will be a poor idea.

Let´s assume that you play 100 hands on one table during a Poker session of NLHE. In case you stick to our SHC you probably play around 20 % of your hands, equaling a total of 20 hands for your session. Now, in case you add a second table where you get involved in 20 % of the 100 hands being dealt out, too, you increase the amount of total hands being played to 40. You still spend the same time on Poker and you´re still selecting your hands like before, but you increase the amount of action and fun.

3)   Folding marginal hands becomes easier:

I´m sure, only the craziest guys play hands like 72o in NLHE because they´re bored but what about those marginal but good-looking hands? KQ in early position, suited connectors in late position against a raise or suited baby-aces? A lot of players decide to play those hands even against raises and in poor position simply because they don´t want to let those cards go to waste and that´s exactly one of the reasons why those guys lose money in the long-term. By playing on more than one table at once, you´ll realize that it´s worth to wait for the right situation in order to play certain hands.

4)   Multi-tabling increases your awareness and performance on every table:

Now that statement might sound a little paradox at first. If you play on a second table, how is that going to add awareness instead of taking it away? Well, that´s a good point, but just think about what you´re doing when you´re bored while playing Poker.

Assuming you stick to your SHC and don´t start getting involved in every hand even with bad cards, the game of NLHE sooner or later gets pretty boring and one-dimensional. There are stretches when your only task is looking at your cards and folding them immediately. Then, a lot of players have the tendency to turn their attention to other things the internet is able to offer. Instead of focusing on the table, some players check their e-mails, watch videos or TV, read interesting articles or simply surf through the internet. No matter what they are doing exactly, these actions turn your focus away from playing Poker and increase the probability of making bad decisions when it´s your turn again on the table.

Playing on two or more tables at once doesn´t give you the opportunity to do other stuff at the same time, simply because the action you have to react to increases significantly. Not only is your mind totally in “Poker-mode” but by constantly watching without interruption, you´re always aware of anything that happens on the tables.

5)   Above average players increase their winnings:

That one is pretty obvious. In case you beat your opposition on a regular basis, playing more hands gives you the opportunity to earn more $ without increasing your risk by stepping up a level. Since almost every Poker-room dishes out bonuses based on your playing activity, cashing in on them becomes much easier.

6)   Multi-tabling increases your experience:

Another simple conclusion. By playing more hands in the same time you´re exposed to more difficult situations, giving you a chance to learn more about Poker. Experience is extremely important when playing because sometimes experience is the only thing that is going to help you making the right decision.

7)   You still find time for other things in life:

Of course some of those aspects can be accomplished by increasing the time you spend on Poker instead of increasing the tables you´re playing on but would that be really worth it? Poker is fun, but there are other things in life that are fun, too and if you can increase your Poker-related entertainment and performance by multi-tabling, why not going for it?

Naturally, there are a few things you have to keep in mind when deciding to play on more than just one table.

1)   Take your time getting used to it:

What I want to express is, that every time you try something new, it´s going to be a distraction to your activities. You can compare it to learning how to drive a car: At first paying attention to the traffic around you, following the signs on the side of the road and clutching at the same time seems extremely difficult. But if you practice for a short while, all those basics come to you naturally. In that regard, multi-tabling is very similar to learning how to drive a car. At first, some of you might feel some additional pressure of making the right decision in two different surroundings, but you´ll get used to that very quickly especially with increasing Poker experience.

2)   Practice somewhere/sometime where/when you feel comfortable:

You have to be relaxed to play your best Poker! Assuming you usually buy into one 5 $ SNG, playing two 5 $ SNGs might scare you off a little at first. So buying into two 2.50 $ SNGs could be a great way to get started! Once you left any kind of problems of adjustment behind, switching back to the higher level shouldn´t display a major problem.

Another aspect is, that you shouldn´t try to change your behavior when you´re on any kind of losing streak. If you are distracted by losing a huge chunk of your bankroll, you should rather take a break from playing instead of increasing your activities even more.

Finally, if you start to multi-table for the first time, practice on large tables! Playing a hand on a table of nine takes longer than playing a hand on a table of six, therefore increasing the amount of time you have between different decisions. Once you get used to it, playing on short handed tables won´t display much of a problem to you.

3)   How many tables can I play on?

Well, that´s totally up to you but let me give you some advice. Being able to see a certain table in its entirety on your screen is necessary in order to have full control. Every table that you don´t have under full control significantly increases any kind of stress and will probably lead to poor results. Besides from that, as long as you know that you have everything under control and as long as you exactly know what´s happening on each table, you´re not running into problems. If you can successfully manage 6, 8, 9 or even more tables, go for it. However once you realize that you´re starting to make mistakes by oversight, you have to cut down on the amount of tables immediately.

Another aspect you have to pay attention to is the type of game you like to play. Are you playing limit cash-games, no-limit cash-games or SNGs? There exists a huge difference between those forms when assessing the ability to multi-table. When playing limit HE, a huge part of your success is watching your opponents and finding certain patterns. A lot of hands will go down to the showdown, leaving plenty of information up for grabs and giving you less opportunity to multi-table since you have to spend some time on taking notes.

The thing about no limit HE basically is that you have to pay a lot of attention to the action on the tables. You won´t get as much easy information as when you´re playing limit Poker, however a single mistake might erase your complete buy-in, not only one or two big bets. Multi-tabling still is a great option but you have to make sure that you´re in total control of all the action on the tables.

The easiest way to multi-table exists by playing SNGs. Think about it, every tournament starts with a phase where nothing really happens and playing styles often heavily depend on factors like the blinds, chip-stacks and the common flow of the game. All those factors usually change quite often over the course of a game, limiting the possibility to exactly monitor your opposition. Another aspect is that you´re not finishing every SNG you´re playing in. Assuming you can easily handle 2 SNGs reaching the bubble-phase combined with a 50 % probability of you reaching the bubble phase, leads to a total amount of 4 SNGs you can participate in at the same time.

To conclude this section, multi-tabling when playing SNGs is much easier in comparison to playing in limit or no limit ring-games.

Playing on more than just one table might be something for you, too, even if you haven´t done it before. Make sure you follow the instructions written down here and stick to your game-plan and you´ll see that you can get more out of Poker than you previously thought.

Back to top