Multi-tabling - clever or stupid?

I'm an advocate of single tabling for CASH/RING games.

I make notes, figure out who's folding the most, raising etc. Essentially I pay attention.

I mostly play 2/4 or 5/10 at this level.

Some people I see at this level play 5-12 tables.

Surely multi-tabling means these people are obviously not bluffing (only playing the best hands) and look for +EV cards all the time? That makes them fairly 1-dimensional rocks....

I can see the argument for multi-tabling at the lower levels e.g. 0.50/1 or 1/2 as it's full of donkeys at that level....and as the saying goes 'you can't bluff a donk'.

I'd be interested to hear what people think about multi-tabling....is it something I should get into?

if you can make enough extra multi tabling you lose to playing multi tables and not paying full attention then there is nothing wrong with it.

I have multitabled and I still do, but I don't suggest it. I have started to slow down and when I do multitable it is either two .25/.5 games or 1 ring and 1 SNG. I know I play much better sitting at a single ring game because I pick up so many blinds from raising in position and I wouldn't do that as often multitabling. I wanted to ask a pro this question, but haven't been able to yet.

Eh, if you're looking at it in terms of profit, it's pretty simple.

If you play 1/2 NL and make 5BBs an hour on average, then 1-tabling you will make $10/hr. If you add a table, your BB/hr might suffer a little, but unless it suffers hugely you will have a higher winrate. Even if you drop to an expectancy of 4BB/hr while 2-tabling, you're getting twice as many hands in, and are raking in $16/hr.

Obviously there's a cutoff point where adding more tables would begin to adversely affect winrate, and this varies from person to person.

I often find its down to concentration - if you can easily handle a couple of tables and not lose track, then fine.

Often on a single cash table (especially 9 or 10 seaters) the game can take ages (or seem to) just for a single hand.
This could be the time when two tabling has its advantages by filling in the waiting time by playing on the other table & visa versa.

The choice is yours when multi-tabling but may I suggest that if you do decide to multi, that you hide yourself from the search feature.
When I sit at a ring game I like to search all players at the table to see who is multi-tabling so I know to stay away from them when they bet big and steal from them when they decide to limp into a pot.

Most writers on the subject of online poker do NOT advocate multi-tabling. Most notably, John Vorhaus - who believes people multi-table because they are action junkies and get bored by playing just the one table.

Furthermore, it's true, multi-tabling goes against the whole idea of being able to study your opponents and playing your "A" game.

In saying all that though, whizz over to the 2 + 2 forums and you will see that most of the players making serious money DO actually multi-table. Some in the region of double-figures!!

Now for us mortals, it's hard to figure out how this can be profitable but the only way I can understand this is that these guys must just eat, sleep and dream POKER! They MUST have been playing for so many years, endlessly, that all their moves are virtually automatic and they KNOW EXACTLY what they are doing.

Now I only play poker at the low limits and my suggestion might not carry much weight but I have tried multi-tabling (Limit Poker at Party Poker on 3 tables max - any more and I am out of my depth) and, indeed, it just felt like I was playing like a machine. In other words, far from making poker more interesting, it actually made it quite dull. Additionally, you miss all the subtleties and fancy moves that makes poker so compelling in the first place.

If you are happy to play poker instinctively, like a robot, in a monotonous fashion then fine - I would recommend playing the low limits first and moving up VERY gradually. You don't wanna just dive in to multi-tabling 4-6 tables straight away.

Nevertheless, in the spirit of No Limit Poker where it's all about psychological warfare and ducking and diving and wheeling and dealing, surely single table battles are where it's at.

Nah, leave multi-tabling to the big money making mechanical experts.

I multi table 6-8 tables at a time SNG style... if it's cash game i stick with 4. Personally I can handle all the information and still pick up tendecies with most players visually. I'll notice if the guy in the upper left of my screen continues to raise preflop and all that nonsense. What I like about multi tabling though is the rhythm it puts me in. For some reason I just get a flow to my game, and don't stop. It also helps to deal with the bad beats when multi tabling. You have no time to get angry or fuss about it because you have 5 more tables to worry about and continue to play well on.