[nomadtla]

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(catchy title, huh?)

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I've seen catchier but not many

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As a new player to limit, if I can make 80% of my EV by only playing half the general recommended starting hands, and compensate by playing twice the tables (8-10?), wouldn't this be near optimal?

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As new player to limit I see nothing wrong with restricting your preflop choices to minimize the dificulty of your postflop play. This will also help you from going bust before you even get your feet wet. In the long run it is a bad idea cause as many have said you become predictable and you are not making all that you could off the fish. At limits less then 1/2 I don't think many would notice and the few that do have more then enough fish to pick on rather then squezzing quarters out of a "predictable" player.

When I started LHE I did something similar only with regards to position. It looked something like.

Super Simple Super Tight Preflop strategy
Early Position
Raise: JJ+, AQs+, AKo (7 hands)
Call: 88+, AJs, KQs, AQo (6 hands)

Middle Position
Raise: eveything I would raise or call in EP (13 hands)
Call: KQo, AJo, and any 2 suited higher then ten (8 hands)

Late Position:
Raise: everything I would raise from MP (13 hands)
Call: all of MP's calls and 22+, A8s+, T9s, 98s, and any two offsuit that are higher then ten (24 hands)
* If first in raise with all playable hands in late position.
** If it's raised in front of you only play the hands you raise from EP and 3bet/cap with them

As you can see all totaled I was only paying 37 hands and it averaged out over the positions so I was playing about 13% of hands, and raising 6-7%

This worked till I got used to my play, and would probably show a decent win at 8-10 tables and keep you from blowing your bankroll in a hurry.
It will not win the maximum and it will not trick anybody but at 1/2 or lower you can make fairly easy money like this. You have to play them at least decently postflop as well.

Edited for further clarity and to add the low PP in late position category.