changes to make when multitabling

[dethgrind]

Jason Strasser just wrote this in his post The Way :

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3) When you are playing more tables, play tighter early. A lot of your edge limping with speculative hands is diminished if you dont have a direct feel for players in your game.


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I've recently started playing four at a time. So I'm wondering, what other changes should one make from their standard one at a time SNG strategy? I'd especially appreciate any input from stupidsucker and others who have experience playing 4 or more tables at once.

Are there previous threads on this topic?

[chill888]

I usually play 3 to 4 tables.

Some very random thoughts versus playing one table:

1. Stop checking email and surfing. You need to pay as much attention to all games as possible.

2. Put extra focus on games that are reaching critical junctures.

3. Take lots of notes on strange plays. Stars notes are super easy to make and retrieve. Read all notes at start of every tourney.

4a. Open Tourney tracking software (Pokertracker or Pokerstat) and set up tables to have data handy on all opponents.

4b. Take your time on critical hands - if necessary refer to opponents stats.

5. Stay very aware of game stage in all tourneys - blind size, button position, etc. Too often you see people failing to call tiny remnant bets from small stacks and then they say "oops multitabling."

6. Try and classify players to your immediate right and left as they will be your most likely villains in any stealing situations.

7. Take your time and learn how to press buttons. Do people really make as many "accidental calls" as they claim or are they just embarrassed by loose play being revealed?

gl

[stupidsucker]

Here are some things I think are good to consider when multi tabling.

1) USe a slightly bigger bankroll then if only playing 1 ata time. Your swings will be a little larger

2)develop a system to keep track of whats going on. I like to keep later level tables on my right monitor. This way I know instantly that this is more of a push/fold type of game rather then early type play.

3)Dont play more then you can handle. If you feel overwhelmed drop down to less tables

4) Dont dwell on a hand. Make your choice then start looking at the other tables. Always keep your eyes moving looking for where you need to make an action.

5)Some say stagger start. I dislike it, but this is all up to your own preference, find what works for you.

6) More then ever dont play on tilt. The fast paced style of multitabling will allow for more tilt mistakes.

7) I always check things in this order. Pockets, Position(and # of people still in), Prior action, my stack size(compared to blinds), then my stack size compared to others involved in the action. Also when its late in the game look real quick for super short stacks.
You dont have to use this order, but you should have some cookie cutter way of making your choices.

8)Dont chat. Getting into a conversation is just asking to miss an action.

9) Try to avoid playing any hands that require too much thought. Especialy early muck hands like AJ and KQ.

10) Have in mind your exact amount to raise on each level. For instance my level 1 preflop is always 50 with no limpers and 75 with a limper.. Level 2 I raise to 100 or 125. Its a little more complicated then that sometimes, but I think you catch my drift.

I hope any of this helps.

[PBaek]

What do you do when the roof caves in.

These last two days I have been multitabling (4tabling) as I always do at 50+5 level. Im not on tilt and I consistantly get my money in with the best of it. But I lose like 75% even on dominated hands such as AK vs AJ or KK vs JJ.

So far Im down 20 buyins which is what many advise as proper roll for even being in the game. I have a lot more than that but this is highle demoralizing.

What can I do? I make the same decisiones as always and find myself continually outdrawn by weakies calling allin with flushdraws or dominated hands.

Regards, PB.

[chill888]

Is this a rhetorical question?

If the money bothers you, drop down a level or stop multitabling. If your truly just being unlucky and the money is no big deal then quit whining and keep playing - the more tourneys the quicker the long run will arrive.

gl

[PBaek]

I know. I was just blowing off a little steam out of frustration. Im heading back to the tables and if I lose 20 buyins worth again, I´ll accept Im just not good enough.

sry for the whining [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

PB.

[parappa]

[ QUOTE ]
What do you do when the roof caves in.

These last two days I have been multitabling (4tabling) as I always do at 50+5 level. Im not on tilt and I consistantly get my money in with the best of it. But I lose like 75% even on dominated hands such as AK vs AJ or KK vs JJ.

So far Im down 20 buyins which is what many advise as proper roll for even being in the game. I have a lot more than that but this is highle demoralizing.

What can I do? I make the same decisiones as always and find myself continually outdrawn by weakies calling allin with flushdraws or dominated hands.

Regards, PB.

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I'm just recovering from the burns I got last time I suggested this, but the first thing you should do is make sure that you're not playing badly. I'm just coming up to 500 Sngs and I'm beginning to draw some personal conclusions about multitabling. For me, the results are fairly striking. In 200 tournaments playing 1 and 2 tables at a time, my ITM/ROI is right around 40/35. In 275 tournaments playing 4, my ITM/ROI is about 30/15. I'll post more about this when I have something to say about it, but I think that in my case 4-tabling actually costs me money by just about any measure, and it is almost certainly due to playing in a formulaic rather than a contextual way when 5-handed and less.

So, make sure that it's really bad luck, is my opinion. Unless the cards are truly running terribly, 20 buy-ins is a lot imo. If I lost 15, (I've lost 20 before, twice), I'd drop a level until my bankroll recovered.

If your game is solid and you're sure, then it might be bad luck, but there are plays (e.g. pushing with something really medicore b/c you're sure your opponent can't/won't call) that you probably can't make when 4-tabling, because you don't have enough reads. At least it's true for me. I've reluctantly had to drop to 2-tabling. My results are better, but my pride doesn't like it--I want to believe that I can 4-table, but the numbers say I can't.

And if it's bad luck, then just suck it up, etc. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Edit: I'd like to start a thread about this sometime, but I thought that I should mention--at no time when losing 20 buy-ins did I ever feel that I was playing very badly. Sure, I'd find a couple of mistakes here and there reviewing my games, but not enough to account for my results, I didn't think. I'm now convinced that this feeling was inaccurate, but I still can't demonstrate what exactly I was doing wrong.]

[chill888]

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But I think that in my case 4-tabling actually costs me money by just about any measure, and it is almost certainly due to playing in a formulaic rather than a contextual way when 5-handed and less.

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The above is a good point. And the higher the buy-ins the better the players and the more important the context of any hand and the ability to read opponents styles.

I rarely multitable several $100 buy-ins but I always do with $50s. For me this makes sense as the $100 are (on average) noticeably harder. Often I play 2 or 3 $50s and one $100 and pay closer attention to the $100.

I also prefer Stars where longer tourneys make understanding opponents easier (more hands) but also more important.

But that's just me.

gl

[PBaek]

Thanks a lot for the advice Parappa and Chili.

There is definately food for thought i reevaluating my games and the effects of multitabling alltogether on my ITM and ROI.

Thinking about it, though, 20 buyins is quite possible to make up very fast. I remember countless days where I have made more than 10 buyins and even a few single hours where I have made more than 10 buyins in four consecutive SNGs. So, looking at it like this, it´s not all that bad and could in my oppinion well be the result of merely a bad run.

In any case time will tell. I will play at least 1000 before I make up my mind [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Regards, PB.

[willie]

just keep getting your money in with the best of it man.

and read some of the losing streak posts around here, we all know people that have had them, it sucks, but as i say when they pile up "this statistically can not keep occurring" [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]