Multi Tabling without losing your mind

[dark_horse]

I got a new monitor that goes to 1600x1200 so I tried playing more than my usual 2 tables. Never made it to 4 but 3 seemed to work ok for a while, but it gets extremely confusing at times when you've got PokerEdge open and you are shopping around for better tables when the tables start to run tight/dry. Anyone have any special methods they'd like to share? It gets to the point where I know my EV is going down because my attention span is so limited, and I forget my reads and hands in progress at times! Wondering where the medium point is before it starts to become -EV.

[GrunchCan]

just dont open more tables than you can handle. if your limit is 3, then your limit is three.

[davelin]

Auto-action buttons are your friends...

[dark_horse]

auto-fold preflop, yes. anything else, i seriously try to avoid doing that for many reasons.

[davelin]

[ QUOTE ]
auto-fold preflop, yes. anything else, i seriously try to avoid doing that for many reasons.

[/ QUOTE ]

Eh, I've use them sometimes for check/fold, bet/raise actions. I don't give your typical .50/1 player enough credit to take this as a "tell".

[dark_horse]

i'm on 1/2 fwiw, and sometimes i use the auto bet or raise button as a reverse tell if i'm bluffing! or i'll use the check/call button if it's heads up on the river and i'm in position and i feel i'm beat but wouldn't fold to a bet.

[DavidC]

Firstly, nice resolution! I wish my monitors were that good.

I have played up to 8 tables a few times, but I can absorb a hell of a lot more when I'm playing between 2 and 4.

If forgetting reads is a problem, use the note-taking function on party. You see a guy call down to the river with bottom pair? Type it into party poker, and it'll be there forever.

When I'm looking for a table, I generally just go by pot size.

I don't know how good pokeredge is, but I find that Playerview is pretty reliable after 30 hands or so. Player view puts the icons from your poker-tracker up on the screen for you, as well as other information that you might want to have.

Tight isn't so bad, as long as there are a bunch of rocks: you can force them out of hands. It's easier to receive money from the less tight players, though.

Ultimately, that max EV / hour curve is at a different number of tables for everyone.

I make it my goal when playing 4 tables to make 1 note on 1 player every 3 minutes: 20 notes an hour. I even have a little sticky pad beside me where I keep track. Not kidding!

It keeps me focused on the game.

Take care and play well!
--Dave.

[DavidC]

The only auto-actions I use are:
-autofold pf
-after I've checked the river normally, I'll use the "fold to any bet" button

[matix]

why avoid them??

[dark_horse]

[ QUOTE ]
why avoid them??

[/ QUOTE ]

1. tells
2. situational. you might have changed your mind once the action comes around to you but it'll be too late to uncheck the autoaction button. has happened to me. if UTG bets river and it's multiway and you are sure someone else will call in between, but lo and behold it's folded around to you, it might be worth a call if you're on the button. just an example.

[waynethetrain]

I have a tough time keeping track of all the action on a single $1 - $2 table as new players move in and out. I can't imagine playing 3-4 tables without it being a major drag on performance. If I have any edge at $1 - $2 (only 2K hands at that level so far and I am down 50BBs after being down close to 150BBs at one point) I am sure I would lose it multi-tabling. I really can't see multi-tabling unless you are trying to clear a bonus quickly or you are absolutely certain you have an enormous edge.

[dark_horse]

oh yeah, i take notes like crazy. the only problem is, when i'm on so many tables i see the note icon but forget what i wrote about them so i have to look again if i'm faced with a decision. if i move the windows around for any reason i'll get jumbled up. it would be wonderful if you could color the notes so you know without looking what type of player they are. any software that does this for party? i know you can assign all sorts of labels for players with pokertracker but i don't use it while playing. pokeredge gives better info and i use it for free (empire deal). i know full tilt allows you to color-label players right on the screen. that's brilliant. now if only they had game selection /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[wabe]

You may want to look into setting up autorating for Pokertracker, then getting Playerview or Gametime+ (I use Gametime+, personally). These give you a heads-up view on the table of whatever stats you wish to track. For Party, you can set Pokertracker up to update every minute from the hand histories on your hard drive, so it's virtually up to date. With autorating, you can then see the icon of a person, which gives some clues as to how they play.

[dark_horse]

Yes, I know about this. Two drawbacks:

1. you have to have a seperate window open representing the table you're at to view the rating of the players, effectively having to have two poker tables on the screen for each one you're playing.

2. i'm already using pokeredge which gives more complete stats than PT can, because PE is getting the data off its servers, while PT only has access to data you feed it, so it only knows about the hands players have been in when you're at the table. plus the PE window is nice and small and can cover 4 full tables in one small window. if only you could export the PE labels (if not all the data) into the PT gametime window.

would be great if you could somehow superimpose icons or labels directly onto the players in the party window! someday...

[DavidC]

My advice: get playerview, use pokertracker, forget forever about the edge thing. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Playerview takes stuff from poker tracker and spits it up on your party screen while you play.

[DavidC]

Have you ever used PV? I'm curious about what you think of GT+

[dark_horse]

but doesn't pokeredge have its merits because the data it gives you is more complete than pokertracker's? server/farm vs local data.

[dark_horse]

[ QUOTE ]
Have you ever used PV? I'm curious about what you think of GT+

[/ QUOTE ]

i use PT for use afterwards, analyzing my play. is PV a plugin for PT? care to share a link?

[DavidC]

You're right about the data being more complete, I must admit...

the HUD of PV/GT+ is killer though. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[DavidC]

playerview.net

Edit: I was actually asking Wabe what he thought of the difference bgetween the two programs though, if he had any information on that.