How in the WORLD Can You Multi-Table?

[lwestatbus]

I have never multi-tabled, tourny or ring, before tonight. I was in a little $2 SnG Satellite and got hammered early down to 300 chips. I checked the lobby and saw another one about to fill up so I signed up. Then I doubled up on tourny #1, then trippled up, and all of a sudden I was 1,000 chips over the average. Then tourny #2 started.

It was a nightmare. I tried to rearrange my tables to at least see them but then they were tiny. Plus, I was actually catching hands at both tables often simultaneously. Then to make it absolutely surreal, I found myself all in against the same player on both tables.

I've done lots of things in my life where I thought I'd never figure it out but eventually did. I actually have no desire to ever repeat the process but I was wondering how those of you who multi-table regularly got used to it.

[xDiamond_CutteRx]

Can't say for sure. I just did. For one thing, I resize the tables so they take up the whole screen or most of it, and I reseat myself so that all my cards will near near the center of the screen. I started with two, then got used to 3, and now I do 4... but I think that's about my upper limit without degrading my play too much.

[supafrey]

I realized a long time ago that that you can play at 90% peak with like... 20% attention. That's it.

There's really not that many times that you're going to get hands that don't require the standard ABC line... when they do chances are the mistakes are still pretty minimal. I just add more and deal. Remember you're not playing for pots, you're playing for money. If you're making a nickel a hand across twenty tables it's better than a quarter a hand across 2.

[lwestatbus]

Thanks for the replies. I remembered some more stuff that was driving me crazy. First, in Windows at least if one table has the focus and you want to click the Fold button, for example, on the other one, you had to click twice--once to put the focus on that table's window and a second time to actually execute the action. I was constantly thinking I'd checked the Fold checkbox only to notice that I had the clock counting down on me because I hadn't done anything.

Once I had something like 89 offsuit in the small blind and was going to be happy to see a cheap flop. What I didn't see was the player who was hidden by an overlapping window (before I resized) who had made a 5xBB raise so my Call was for way more than I'd have ever considered.

Another question for all of you M-Ters out there. How important is it to you to study your opponents and are you able to do so when playing multiple tables?

[odlozilik]

Multitabling isn't actually hard at all. First, you don't have to resize tables at all, simply when it's your turn on the certain table, it comes in front automatically (at least on the most major sites), you make your move and it takes you to the another table then and so on. When I tried to resize like 4 tables to see all of them, I was rather confused, because I didn't know, where to look first, and even got timed out sometimes.
As for making reads on opponents, I don't think it's neceserilly profitable to carefully watch every opponent, the most of good ones I already know, or will notice very soon anyway. The rest (let's say 80%) are fishes, who come and leave very frequently and play poorely, so it's not effective to spend time on tracking them.
So, moreless, unknown = fish, unless proven opposite, at least on lower stakes.
Just try it, it's phenomenal action!

[HalfSugar]

Multitabling isn't actually hard at all. First, you don't have to resize tables at all, simply when it's your turn on the certain table, it comes in front automatically (at least on the most major sites)

Which has got misclick written all over it unless you are very, very focussed at all times. Obviously you can help avoid this by not having the table windows lined up but there is still scope for fcuk ups.

[odlozilik]

Multitabling isn't actually hard at all. First, you don't have to resize tables at all, simply when it's your turn on the certain table, it comes in front automatically (at least on the most major sites)

Which has got misclick written all over it unless you are very, very focussed at all times. Obviously you can help avoid this by not having the table windows lined up but there is still scope for fcuk ups.

Until now, I didn't make much misclicks at all, considering the number of hands I have played. I even don't remember any misclick made this year. I think it happens perhaps more often when I change tables manually than if I let them appear in regular order.

[Gunslinger]

I remember the first time I tried 2 tables and thinking it was absolutely crazy. After practice, I was able to handle it. Soon I was bored out of my skull on only one table. Making the jump from 2 to 3 was tough because with 2 tables I was still following every action of every player on both tables to get reads, and with three tables that was tough. I had to train myself to let that go, have confidence in my abilities to make correct decisions. Once I was able to do that, I was able to jump to 4 tables almost immediately, it's no different than 3. That's where I'm at now.

I would definitely recommend NO overlap when you first try it. Make the tables as big as you can but where they are still side by side (or top and bottom). This way you can follow the action on all tables. I tile my 4 tables, it's a little small but I can see every player and what's going on.

First, in Windows at least if one table has the focus and you want to click the Fold button, for example, on the other one, you had to click twice--once to put the focus on that table's window and a second time to actually execute the action.

I don't remember about Stars, but Full Tilt has an option you can check that makes you bring focus to a new table and execute an action in one click.

[Ciso_B]

Another question for all of you M-Ters out there. How important is it to you to study your opponents and are you able to do so when playing multiple tables?

I think its not too important early on, but late on, i feel its pretty important to realise who are stealing all the time, making moves, and who are the tight ones, the ones you can raise their blinds etc.

I was never a huge fan of multitabling cos I feel like getting the feel of tables and watching opponents tendancies are important tbh, however, would be very dull If I only played mtt at a time, and like pav said, bout making money, so gotta put the volume in. I can play around 3/4 and play well enough imo. Rarely go above that though.

[Jauron]

If you multi-table something like Poker Tracker and the HUD is a must IMO. You just cannot keep track of everything going on and those stats help your decisions.

I can only handle 4 tables at once or my decisions go to shit.