Multi-Tabling Madness

P

PokerDev

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Total posts
115
Chips
0
At the beginning of my journey…like a month ago…I started reading a little bit online about “how to play poker”.
I almost wish now I hadn’t. It poisoned me, much of it.
They started talking about multi-tabling. Which I promptly tried and lost a lot of money on.
I promise you that there is more than I could ever pay attention to on one poker table!
I play so much better in just one cash game at a time.
If there were an algorithm you could use to play poker, we’d let the machines fight it out for us and save us all the time and worry.
And, indeed, many many people are trying this approach.
But how do you think you really get better? How do you ascend up the ranks and work on higher and higher tables with greater and greater stakes safely?
It’s by thinking and learning.
If we are on 8 tables at once, are we really observing? We are not watching for what actually happens. We are thinking about the theory the poker teacher is putting into your head.
Unfortunately, poker instruction is like most instruction in the US…teaching you what to think instead of how to think.
I’m talking to myself constantly when I’m playing online. Why is this happening? Why is that happening? What happened there? Why?
What are the ‘streams of communication’? Who is saying what (via bets, raises, folds, calls, and all-ins) to whom? About what? Who is believing it? Who is ignoring whom? What is it costing them?
How long are people thinking about decisions? Or are they just pretending to think? (Hollywooding)
How good are my cards? What if the cut-off goes all in? What do I do then?
There’s an infinite amount of information in any given poker hand to process. I am trying, rather than trying to maximize the number of hands I to play, maximize my learning from each hand. Think about what went wrong when you get beat on a hand. Think about all the things you could have done differently.
If there is a coach who teaches this way, I always learn and kick ass much faster.
--
What do you think? Should you multi-table? When?
 
wilpinsi

wilpinsi

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
May 11, 2013
Total posts
1,321
Chips
0
Generally I do not like to play more than four tables,volume aficionados, say that the best would be a number between 10/40, I really disagree with that, and I still say my limit is 4 tables, I like to pay attention to everything, on in my game
 
Ovuvuevuevue

Ovuvuevuevue

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 6, 2018
Total posts
199
Chips
0
Very skilled and practiced players can and do interpret all the information even when multitabling a large amount. That's why it's essential you learn little by little to increase your profits steadily. Just add one table at a time and when you feel you are ready go up. It's a lot like moving up in stakes. With patience and practice you can reach a point where you can increase your profit many times.
 
N

neptun1914

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 22, 2018
Total posts
1,656
Chips
0
Multitabling is very valid approach to maximize profits but i also agree that it is not good for new players. For me personally i have compared one table to two tables play and when i play on two tables i do not have enough time to properly analyze every hand and take the best decision for the situation. With more practice this should change but in general comparison with the stakes is true. You should first start at micro stakes before you go higher and in the same manner you should first learn to play properly on one table before adding another.
 
Poker_Mike

Poker_Mike

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
Total posts
4,753
Awards
2
Chips
347
At the beginning of my journey…like a month ago…I started reading a little bit online about “how to play poker”.
I almost wish now I hadn’t. It poisoned me, much of it.
I play so much better in just one cash game at a time.
What do you think? Should you multi-table? When?


So...you should stay with what works for you.

The idea is that if you are a good player on one table - then you can be a good player on five tables and increase your profit.

But, you are exactly correct that to be a good player in a game you should pay attention to the action and previous action by players.

For me - I can really only play 2 tables maximum. But some players can play 6 or 8 tables and be successful.

Don't let a book or poker coach pressure you into doing things that don't work for you.

But, it's always worthwhile to try to increase your success and productivity. It's really up to you to figure out how. Multi-tabling is just one method.

Good luck !
 
makisaa

makisaa

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Oct 6, 2015
Total posts
3,030
Awards
10
GR
Chips
203
I usually play till 4 tables, because I want to watch my games and collect as many informations as I can. I think this method is more effective!
 
P

Pokerblitz

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 26, 2018
Total posts
62
Chips
0
The more tables you play, the more spots you tend to miss. You can play a higher volume of hands while multi-tabling, but that doesn't mean you profits go up when you play more tables. I tend to tighten up when playing more tables which isn't that bad, but people will also notice that in the long run. I think most of the nitty players multi-table a lot and it is really easy to play against such players. And as said already, when you are still learning the game, less tables is better to recognize spots because you get more information because you have more time to look at how the players at your tables behave, make notes!
 
Top