Multi-tabling, which recording method gives a more accurate SD?

[JTG51]

I usually play three tables at the same time when I play online. That gives me two options for recording my results. I can combine the results from each table during the session and record it as one session, or I can record each table as a seperate session.

It never occured to me before, but the two methods should give a very different result for my SD and ROR, right? So which set of numbers is closer to my true SD?

[MaxPower]

I think it depends on your unit of measurement, whether it be per hour or per hand (or per 100/hands). The SD doesn't exist independently of the measurement.

[JTG51]

I calculate everything on a per hand basis, but I don't see how that makes a difference. No matter what unit I chose, my SD (and ROR) is going to be higher if I combine multiple tables into one session because each session is going to be longer and have bigger wins and losses, right?

[Im Just A Bill]

If you are talking about the SD of $ won/lost, then I would think that combining tables would lower your SD (decrease your variance. Bad beat on one table makes less of a difference. This is basically equivalent to playing 3 sessions on a single table and combining the results. Combining tables increases your sample size.

[JTG51]

If you are talking about the SD of $ won/lost, then I would think that combining tables would lower your SD...

Yeah, I think you are right.

That still leaves the question though, which is a more accurate measure?

[daryn]

you should really treat it as 2 or 3 different sessions, as if you split yourself into 3 clones and you each went and played poker.

you'd just have to keep in mind that your bb/hr would actually be bb/hr/table. your bb/100 would be the same.

[Im Just A Bill]

I'm not sure that "more accurate" necessarily has meaning, it just kinda depends on the data you are interested in. For me, I would prefer to track each table independantly so that I would have summary stats based on a single table session. If you always play 3 tables, then you might be more interested in combined summary stats for the session. I don't think there is necessarily a right answer here.

[JTG51]

you should really treat it as 2 or 3 different sessions, as if you split yourself into 3 clones and you each went and played poker.

I do, but I don't see how that's any better that treating it as one session. If I played a 12 hour session at Foxwoods and changed tables twice in the middle, would you say I should split that into three sessions as if my two clones and I each wanted to play?

you'd just have to keep in mind that your bb/hr would actually be bb/hr/table. your bb/100 would be the same.

Yeah, I'm not worried about winrate here. Just SD and ROR. I keep all of my online stats on a per hand basis so that I don't have to worry about the number of tables I'm playing when I track my winrate.


Maybe it's a dumb question that doesn't have a good answer, or maybe I'm not phrasing it well. Let me try again.

Lets say every day I play poker online for 2 hours at 3 tables at a time. I can recod that as a single 6 hour session or as 3 seperate 2 hour sessions. If I always use the first method I'll have an SD of $x. If I always use the second method I'll have an SD of $y. Will the ROR using $x or the ROR using $y be closer to my true ROR?

Thanks again, and I'm sorry if this is a pointless question or if I'm just confusing a simple concept.

[MaxPower]

I see. The problem is that we record our results as sessions rather than in the actual units (hrs, hands).

If you wanted to get your hourly SD you should record your results each hour, but since that isn't practical we record sessions. It seems that lumping your 3 tables into one session would lower your SD, but I'd guess that whether you lump them of keep them seperate, the SD for the two methods should converge if you have enough sessions.

My assumption is that once your sample size gets large enough it shouldn't really matter whether you lump or not.

Where is Bruce Z? I'm sure he could answer this.

[Ben]

No idea what is correct, but as an additional data point:

I play 4 tables and I track my results as one session with 4x the time.

-Ben