Will multitabling be useful to beginner?

What's better - playing several (2-3) tables and therefore faster get some experience under the belt, or play one table, but be able to pay more attention (but posibly become bored?)

[LetYouDown]

When I started playing online, I only played one table. I quickly became bored of it and moved to 2, then 3, then 4. It's really a matter of personal preference/bankroll. If you have enough to sit at 4 tables and are relatively tight...it's probably not going to hurt. I'm typically only involved in one hand at a time, and a lot of time I sit there for 30 seconds waiting for one of the hands to finish because I folded on every table.

My advice is to try two tables. If it feels overwhelming at first, drop down...but it really shouldn't. If you're really trying to learn the game itself and not just get a feel for the software, etc...one might be better. I pay much more attention to peoples' behavior when I'm playing only one table. When I'm multitabling, I play more ABC.

[SamIAm]

I think it's horrible for a beginning player to play more than 2 tables. 1 is often best (unless, as you said, they get very bored. I often suggest 1 table even then.)

New players need experience reading the board. They need to watch others' play and think "What would I do in that position?"

When you start playing poker, your goal isn't to win as much money as possible; it's to get experience thinking about the game and watching hands. If you're multitabling, too often you miss the thinking and most of the hand.
-Sam

[pretender2k]

[ QUOTE ]
When you start playing poker, your goal isn't to win as much money as possible; it's to get experience thinking about the game and watching hands. If you're multitabling, too often you miss the thinking and most of the hand.


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this. I ususaly four table profitablly (is that a word?), but I like to spend some time playing just one table just to work on the little things like getting extra bets and such. I usually do this when I only have an hour or less to play. I think it improves my overall game.

[CORed]

I started two-tabling very soon after I started playing online. I had played live for about a year before I started online, though. I currently four table holdem, and two table stud.

Playing two tables may help keep you form playing garbage hands out of boredom.

The downsides to multt-tabling for a beginner are that dividing your attention may keep you from getting good reads on your opponents and that, as a beginner, you are likely to be a losing player at first, and playing two tables will make you lose twice as fast--more if the quality of your play goes down on two tables. I would not reccomend playing more than two tables until you can be confident that you are a winning player on two, and can play multiple tables without slowing down the games you are in.

[boose_bagina]

it definetly depends on what you play. If by chance you play NL (which i seem like only one of the few here that do [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] ), I'd stick to one table at first

[TemetNosce]

[ QUOTE ]
What's better - playing several (2-3) tables and therefore faster get some experience under the belt, or play one table, but be able to pay more attention ( but posibly become bored )

[/ QUOTE ]

Possibly become bored? Don't put the cart before the horse just yet.

If you were to be bored playing 1 table at first as a beginning player, you may want to consider another activity. Start playing one table because you enjoy poker, learn to play well and pay attention to everything, then worry about adding tables as necessary once you become a good player.

First of all thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts. The game I had in mind was a (micro-)Limit Holdem, I just thought the question to be generic enough.

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If you were to be bored playing 1 table at first as a beginning player, you may want to consider another activity.

[/ QUOTE ]
Here you got me worried.
Yes, the reality is that it gets a little boring to me, but not playing, rather waiting for a hand worth playing. And in online game there's much less to watch during that time. Also with the low level of both myself and (at least some of) my opponents I'm not sure if I should be learning from them, or if they are just pressing the buttons randomly.
Does this really mean that I'm not wired right for this kind of a thing, or do others also feel this occasionally?

[randomstumbl]

If you're bored the first day you play, you might be in trouble. I mean, there should be at least some novelty there to keep you interested.

On the other hand, I started playing two tables of limit hold'em within a couple weeks of starting to play online. Micro limit tables just take forever to complete hands (because so many players will call rather than fold). If you find it easy to keep up with all the action and still have plenty of time to think about each decision and watch each player, then you're fine.

It's easy to add tables when you should really just spend time improving your game and moving up, but playing two tables is usually a reasonable compromise. If you start 4 tabling .5/1 - then you have problems.

[TemetNosce]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, the reality is that it gets a little boring to me, but not playing, rather waiting for a hand worth playing. And in online game there's much less to watch during that time. Also with the low level of both myself and (at least some of) my opponents I'm not sure if I should be learning from them, or if they are just pressing the buttons randomly.
Does this really mean that I'm not wired right for this kind of a thing, or do others also feel this occasionally?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think it means you are not wired right for this. As another poster stated, the novelty of playing should keep you interested in playing just one table at first. Assuming that you will also be reading a poker book (or several)as you begin to play, playing one table first is good for learning how to apply the concepts you are studying and making correct decisions. It is easier to learn while playing one table. Playing several tables will cause you to make mistakes at first because your attention can get spread thin.

It will not take long for you to be able to play two tables at once, though. Adding additional tables after that will be a bit more of a challenge, but certainly doable. Add a table once you are comfortable with the number that you are playing.

Make it a point to learn from your opponents, from both their good plays and their bad plays. If you see a bad play, think about how you would have played the hand better. If you see a good play, think about why it was a good play and use it in the future in similar situations.

Also, be careful to not let the boredom of waiting to play a hand cause you to start playing hands just because you are bored. If you cave into that boredom, you will not like the results. Watch your opponents play, that info will be useful and will help alleviate boredom.