Will multitabling be useful to beginner?

[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.

[pzhon]

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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?)

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On some sites, the play is significantly slower than on others. I don't see this reflected in the other answers.

Beginners can get a lot of value from following the action in all hands they can. On a site that allows you to see the hands that were mucked at showdown (Party, UB, PokerStars, PokerRoom, etc.), you should spend some time looking up the past hands, asking, what did this player have on each street? How would I have played that? Did he have the odds to draw? Particularly on a faster site such as Ultimate Bet, there might not be enough time to do this and play multiple tables.

On a site that doesn't show you the cards mucked at showdown, and where the games are slower, you are probably wasting too much time if you only play one table. I'd say this is the case on the Cryptologic network.

[TemetNosce]

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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?

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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.

Walk before you run.

Crawl before you walk.

Play one table, then move on up as you feel more and more comfortable.

[pretender2k]

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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.


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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.

[pretender2k]

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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,

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The only thing you should be learning from most of these players is what mistakes they are making and learn not to make them yourself even if they are making money while making those mistakes that day.

All the money you make at the tables is profitting from your opponents mistakes. Learn those mistakes and take advantage of them.

[Equal]

Everyone is correct. One tabling is a MUST. If you're bored, it's because you aren't paying enough attention.

I fell into the same stupid trap when I was playing the low limits as a beginner.

I got bored with one table so I started playing 2 and 3.

For some reason I could only become a break even player. Then my mentor told me to only play one table, and my results skyrocketed!

Even though I was only playing one table instead of 2 or 3, I was making more money with one table. My learning curve just got so steep.

Simply put, multi-tabling stunts your improvement and thus stunts your future profits.

[jmgurgeh]

I eventually got to the point where I could 4-table $.50-$ tables on Party to clear bonuses profitably. Sweet! Then I moved to $1-$2 where the tables are a little tighter, more aggressive, and the play is faster. Four-tabling $1-$2 became a very good way to give my money away.

I'm now concentrating on one table only. I think I might move on to two soon, but 6-max is faster still than any of the full games. If you're playing on Party, note what people are raising PF with. Note how they play TP no kicker. Note how they play flopped two pairs and sets. I have at least three people in my set of notes that I know will bet any flop they missed with an unimproved, crappy A. I can't even count how many people raise and reraise draws and overs on the flop. This information is so +EV it's ridiculous, and it's unlikely you'll have time to look it up with four tables going. Maybe one day I will four-table $5-$10 and pay my rent with rakeback, but that day is not yet here. Until my mind goes fast enough to do that and I can make good plays much faster than right now, it's 1-2 tables, and one table only when I try to move up.

So in conclusion, one or two table, and use all the information at hand. Multitabling will get you more money at rakeback in the short term, but may also lose money on the table. Focusing on how to adapt to the different situations and players as best you can will get you good at poker.

Maybe some pros will disagree, but that's my 2 (+2?) cents.