multitabling stupidity

[Rhone]

OK, playing poker online only a few months now, still new to the game, and very new to playing two tables at once. I'm trying to decide whether multi-tabling is for me. There's one BIG plus I've noticed, which is that I tend to get bored when I play only one table, and that leads me to see more flops than I should. Psychologically, when I'm multi-tabling, I feel the next good hand is right around the corner and I'm generally more patient.

But, it comes with a downside as well, which is I can get easily distracted by the action on one table, and make boneheaded decisions (like my failure to re-raise on the river in the example below) that I THINK I wouldn't make if I was fully concentrating on only one game. I know no one else can answer the question of how these plusses and minuses balance for my game, but I would be interested in hearing from folks how long it took them to get used to multi-tabling after they first started, that is, if there was a decline in your quality of play when you started, how long before your game got back to the level it was when you were just playing one table.

Thanks! (and please, no flames on my play below; I've already given myself a good slap for it)

Rhone.


Paradise Poker 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (9 handed)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, MP3 calls, CO folds, Button calls, SB folds, Hero checks.

Flop: (6.40 SB) J/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 8/images/graemlins/club.gif, 7/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(6 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 bets</font>, MP1 calls, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, Button folds, Hero calls.

Turn: (4.70 BB) 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, UTG+1 calls, <font color="CC3333">MP1 raises</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls.

River: (13.70 BB) Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, UTG+1 folds, <font color="CC3333">MP1 raises</font>, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 17.70 BB
<font color="green">Main Pot: 17.70 BB, between MP1 and Hero.</font> &gt; <font color="white">Pot won by Hero (17.70 BB).</font>

Results below:
Hero shows Kh Td (straight, king high).
MP1 shows 8d Th (straight, queen high).
Outcome: Hero wins 17.70 BB.

[Blarg]

Heheh, I've got to admit, that's got to be one of the funniest calls I've ever seen!

Truthfully though, I've done the same thing by accident...clicking incorrectly or just getting distracted. What might never ever ever happen when you're single tabling becomes a possibility when doing multi-tabling. Incidentally, I often play long hours or late at night, and when I catch myself doing something like this, THAT is the time I tell myself to wrap it up and go to bed, or take a break if it's early. And if I'm in a tourney and playing a ring game on the side, I'll shut down the ring game. All this even when I'm feeling fine and, well, think I'm fine anyway. But the stupid play does not lie! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Personally I found playing two to be pretty easy right away. But playing three seemed to me much harder, and it is. I love to take detailed notes, even though I may never see many of the people I play again, and that's very easy to do on either one or two tables. Three makes the difference.

Yet it's still dramatically different than four for me. I can maybe observe certain things about opponent play at four tables, but I just don't have the time to really think deeply at all about them, because new hands are coming up and well I just have to click something because the beeping has started! I make more cursory notes, and learn less about both the game and the players -- and unfortunately myself.

For me, I think it's worth giving up the 4th table, at least for now. I value my detailed notes, because I put a lot of thought into some of them. They've come in incredibly handy sometimes, making a big difference in my earn rate I'm sure. Maybe one day that will change, but I'm not sure, as there is simply little time to write no matter how smart you are or think you are after a certain point. Writing takes time, and thinking about things so you can write good observations takes longer still. I love good notes!

Anyway, I don't think people who can play 8 tables can move their fingers to write notes any faster, but they can divide their attention better than I can if they can play so many tables at once. Maybe I will one day too, but I'm not in a hurry to find out. Everybody pulls up a groove and gets fabulous differently.

[imitation]

It just a progression and with in long you'll be fine, I remember the first time I started 2 tables up I was shocked I couldn't think quickly enough what I had to do, it seemed impossible that people talked about 4 tables at once. The same thing when I added a 3rd and 4th. Now I play 4 tables of shorthand getting in ~330hands/hr and I've still got time to write this post... oh and ofcourse having 4 PT Gametime windows open and a fairly nice DB of players makes read dependant plays alot easier.

[AtlBrvs4Life]

If you're only playing 2 tables you still have plenty of time to stop and think about each move you make. Take your time on deciding which of those three buttons to click even though nobody else at your table will.

[MicroBob]

It's EXTREMELY helpful if you make sure your resolution is adjusted to see both tables at the same time.
This should go without saying...but too many players have come on here saying "I tried multi-tabling....but I can't keep up with the action because the table fills the whole screen"


When I first started multi-tabling I kind of struggled.
But I picked up on 2 tables and quickly progressed to 3 or 4.
Now, with a second monitor, I can do 7 or 8 sometimes....but usually only do 5-6.

The other day while 7-tabling I accidentally raised Q2o PF because I glanced and thought I had QQ. I almost continued with it when I thought I had an overpair on the flop.
Geez...maybe I should get my eye-sight checked.


Anyway, I believe that if you are of the MTV and Atari-Video-Game generation (or younger) and you spent half your childhood shooting little Space Invaders or whatever then you should probably be able to pick up on multi-tabling.
If you don't have that kind of background then I think there is a greater chance that everything is just going to be moving to fast for you and trying to keep up will give you a head-ache.
Don't KNOW that my ideas here are correct. It's just a theory.

[LondonBroil]

[ QUOTE ]
Anyway, I believe that if you are of the MTV and Atari-Video-Game generation (or younger) and you spent half your childhood shooting little Space Invaders or whatever then you should probably be able to pick up on multi-tabling.
If you don't have that kind of background then I think there is a greater chance that everything is just going to be moving to fast for you and trying to keep up will give you a head-ache.

[/ QUOTE ]

I spent hours upon hours every day playing Quake (the FIRST one) online with my friends. I think if you can handle FPS games like that, multitabling is a cinch.

[Alobar]

heh, we've all done that. I actually just folded a flopped 2 pair (J2 in the BB) because I wasnt paying enough attention. ended up being about a 25BB pot I would have won.....doh!!

I'm not advising that you take the entire clock each time, but realize you do have quite a little bit of time to think about your decisions, don't be afraid to use it when you need it.

[Rhone]

Good advice, everyone, thanks. I am of the video game generation and generally don't have trouble multitasking. For me it's just going to be about getting used to making poker decisions a little bit more quickly.

I also should probably change my screen resolution so I can see both open table windows completely at the same time. Right now there's about a 50% overlap and I have to keep flipping back and forth.

[Bob Moss]

[ QUOTE ]

I spent hours upon hours every day playing Quake (the FIRST one) online with my friends. I think if you can handle FPS games like that, multitabling is a cinch.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, that brings me back. Quakeworld was the bomb. If only we could have played for money. Dollar a frag? 5? 10? Oh that would have been awesome.

Bob