Playing two stud tables at the same time

[Mac]

I've been building a very nice online bankroll over the past months playing mid-limit 7CS online. A lot of successful online Hold 'em players play several tables at the same time. Following suit, I experimented tonight playing two tables at once. In two words, I got beat up. Although I don't feel I played badly, I definitely wasn't able to count cards very accurately or observe opponents as well as in a typical game. Some of the games I'm playing in are almost soft enough to beat in autopilot so I'll give it a little more time before I pack it up, BUT (1) How different is multi-table play in 7CS than in Hold 'em (2) Is anyone here seeing significant profit in playing two tables at once? thanks in advance... I would post this in Internet Forum but only Hold 'em players in that neck of the woods

- MAC

[Andy B]

"I got beat up" is four words.

I don't play on-line for money, but I do know that I have enough trouble keeping track of the cards in a single stud game, let alone two. I suppose that there are people who can play sixty chess games at once (I can barely play one), so two stud tables might be doable for some. I wouldn't try it personally, though, and if you can't play two tables at once, I don't think there's any shame in that.

[MRBAA]

I've played a fair bit of 2-4 stud on Paradise and find it hard to play two stud tables for the reason you say -- keeping track of dead cards is very hard. I often play one stud table and one he table, and find that is more doable as you only have to keep track of the players at the he table.

[Cooling Heels]

A good monitor is required is you want to play 2 stud
games at once. The flat panel wide screens are pricey,
but with good resolution and surface area you can display
both tables at once instead of cascading the games. The
cascade can be a disaster when your 3rd street decision
pops up after other players have mucked their door cards.
The games are designed with lower resolution in mind,
so 1600 by 1200 or 1280 by 1024 may make the tables hard
to see. Experiment with Control Panel, and be sure to
use four color decks, it makes distinguishing the suits
easy.

I sometimes play a low limit stud/8 and a multi-table HE
tournament at the same time. Not the optimal way to play
either game, but if nothing else, it forces you into
tight mode, a good mode to play many tournament stages.
With the low rake and no dealer tips you can eke out a
small profit in stud/8 by merely playing good starting hands. The Paradise no-ante games
are an example of a game
that cannot be played too tight.

[akaLogic]

My favorite combination is one Omaha and one Stud table. I can sit out a hand of stud once
every 2 weeks when I get to play a hand at the Omaha table.

Two stud tables are very difficult. The first time I tried it I thought, "No one can do this.
Keeping track of 2 boards at once is just too tough." Now on a good day with a fresh cup
of coffee, I can hold them apart ... It's a lot like playing 2 blindfolded simultaneous games
of chess, you have to compartmentalize.

The biggest penalty is attention division on your play when you are in 2 pots at once.
It's OK if you are playing a very straightforward game, but it's hard to decide if this
is the time to check-raise if your other table is beeping.

[Mac]

I took a bit of a hit again today on the two table experiment. I've downloaded my hand history to truly determine how much was lost due to bad play. I had the resolution set to have the tables side by side. When I was dealt a playable hand on one table, I would simply sit out the other table. At least my concentration was focused on one game for that period - I've realized I'm certainly not strong enough to fully keep track of two 7CS hands at once. Thanks for the comments.

MAC

[SittingBull]

at your CURRENT level,Y not move up a notch instead of playing TWO stud games?
Unless U are unusally gifted,playing two stud games properly is almost impossible. However,if the hol'em players at your current limit are usually playing badly,then playing TWO tables ca definitely be rewaring.
there is NO card tracking in hol'em. Hence,a HUGH difference between Hold'em and stud.
u will NOT comsume as much energy playing Hold'em as U do in stud.
hence,U will be able to play better for a longer period of time.
Auto-Pilot might just be sufficient to take down the money over time in your limit hold'em game. Note that converting from a good hold'em player to a good stud player is a lot more difficult than vice versa.
HappyPokering, /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif
SittingBull

[Michael Davis]

Mac,

I strongly recommend you learn to play another game like hold 'em or Omaha and then, if you feel the need to play two games at once, play your regular stake stud game and a lower limit hold 'em/Omaha game.

Hold 'em and Omaha can be played ABC for profit without paying much attention to the game. You can then continue to pay attention to the one stud game.

Ultimately, of course, this is a personal decision.

-Mike

[34TheTruth34]

I'm glad you posted this, because I was going to make a post like this too. The other day, I also experimented for the first time playing two stud tables at once. Because I don't play many hands, it's not that bad because I'm not playing two hands at the same time that often. The few times that it came up though, it was a pretty big pain in the we-know-where. Overall though, I liked it. A lot has been posted here about the negatives of playing two at once, but some positives that I've found are:

1. You can increase the amount of money you make without increasing the variance or dealing with the huge swings that come from moving up a level (this is because you're playing more hands an hour at the same levels, not the same amount of hands at a higher level)

2. I've found it really helps my patience. I generally have very tight starting hand requirements in low-ante games, but after playing like a half an hour without seeing any decent starting hands, I start to slip and maybe play a hand or two that I would normally throw away in that same spot. Because you're seeing twice the number of starting hands, there's really no reason to get involved with a hand, if you don't think the circumstances are perfectly correct.

3. As Davidross has pointed out, it forces you to play a more A-B-C straightforward game. I found that I wasn't outthinking myself, just sizing up a situation quickly and reacting quickly. Obviously, this is better at lower limits [you didn't mention the levels you play at] where the opponents are more straightforward and easy to read.

I haven't logged enough time playing two stud tables to be totally sure yet, but my gut feeling is that it is better and more profitable than playing just one table. Even if sometimes you miss the fact that the third four was already folded...