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

[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]

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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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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.

[BettyBoopAA]

I'd play 8 tables, watch a dozen televisions and talk on the phone, read a book so your not bored.

[boose_bagina]

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watch a dozen televisions

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now thats impressive!

[Boltsfan1992]

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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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In short, no, playing more than one table as a beginner will not make you a better player. A beginner will not have good post-flop skills - that is where the money is made.

At the lower limits, good pre-flop play will help you in the short term as you realize that people play with most anything. But when you look at good post-flop play, and the pots are multiway, then you have to concentrate more on making the correct decision. When you get ready, read Small Stakes Hold 'Em and concentrate on the post-flop chapters.

However, when you can make these decisions quickly, then add one table at a time. There are many here doing very well with four tables at once. I am NOT one of those people however as I found some really bad habits in my play that I am now concentrating on one table. Boring yes, slower, definitely, but my play is better - that I DO know.

FWIW

PB

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.

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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?