Tips And Tricks For Multi-tabling Online Poker

When a live player makes the switch to the realm of Online Poker, one of the biggest changes he or she will have to deal with is the option of playing more than one table at a time: Also known as multi-tabling.

The problem they encounter is that playing more than one table is a shock to a live poker player’s system. It’s hard enough for players to deal with the increased speed of the online game -an online Texas Hold’ Em table can see 100+ hands in an hour: A live Texas Hold’ Em game sees about 25-30 hands per hour-let alone the prospect of quadrupling that output by playing four tables.

When you transplant a person accustomed to playing 25 hands an hour, into a situation where he is playing 400 hands an hour, they will initially be overwhelmed and will likely have subpar results. With that in mind, I will give players certain tips they can employ when they start to multi-table.

Tip#1: Open a single table at a time.

The most important piece of solving the multi-tabling puzzle is to get a feel for each table before opening a second, third, and fourth. So, before you open those additional tables, you should play at least 50 hands on the first table and get a feel for the other players -who’s good, who’s bad, and so on.

Tip #2: Play in smaller stake games.

As you add more tables your edge over your opponents is diminished (this is made up for by the additional hands you are participating in) so if you’re a slight winner at $10/$20 Limit Hold’ Em you’d want to drop down to $5/$10 or even $3/$6 when multi-tabling, where the competition’s ability will be a bit poorer.

The point of multi-tabling is to decrease your variance by playing more hands -therefore getting to the long-term faster. By playing the smaller stake games you are essentially playing your normal stakes (or higher), and risking less. Playing four $10/$20 tables will likely produce a higher win rate than playing a single $25/$50 table: and your variance will be reduced since you will see more hands.

Tip #3: As you grow more and more comfortable, progressively add more tables.

This is not a rehash of tip #1; this tip has to do with how many tables you should open in a session. When you first start multi-tabling you should play two tables; once you feel comfortable you can add a third.

Some players are capable of playing 16 tables at a time, but I’ll guarantee you they started playing one: moved on to two tables: Then three, four five, and six; and eventually they come to a point where they say, “this is too overwhelming” at which point they settle in on a certain number.

In conclusion, if you are going to take the leap, and start playing multiple tables, don’t think you can just pop open eight tables at a time and not lose any of your edge. On the other hand, if you do it right and progressively add more tables -during the session and in the long-run-you’ll find yourself capable of holding your own on numerous tables at the same time.