Multi-Table Poker Strategy
Online poker has become extremely popular and has turned into an occupation for many people from all over the world. The ability to multi-table has taken poker to a whole new level. Players no longer have to grind it out all day and night in a casino playing a higher staked level game to make a living. Players can now risk less and spread it over many tables and profit more consistently on a day-to-day basis. Just about every poker room offers the multi-tabling feature. However, certain online poker sites offer significantly better features and customizable options pertaining specifically to multi-tabling.
Basic Strategy
Before players even consider multi-tabling, they should be comfortable with playing ABC poker at only one table. ABC poker is straightforward: it's playing only optimal hands according to position, generally a tight/aggressive player. The second most important thing to consider when beginning to multi-table is remembering to play within your bankroll. Failure to properly manage your bankroll can be devastating. The distraction of the fast pace from the additional tables can lead to a spiral effect in terms of the bankroll.
The concept behind multi-tabling is sometimes referred to as the spread strategy. This terminology is referencing the theory of spreading your money to minimize the loss risk and still remain with the same potential profit margin. For example, if you normally play a $1/2 No-Limit Texas Holdem cash game, you can spread it to two tables and play two $.50/1 tables. Another option is to play four $.25/.50 tables. The logic behind this lies in the probability that good poker players will tank from time to time due to an extremely bad beat but they will win a majority of the time. The wins may be a double, triple or even quadruple up win.
The speed of the game for the player is dramatically faster and because of this, multi-tabling should be done gradually. Try two tables for a while and then progress to three and so on. The hands per hour greatly improve as you add tables. This allows you to tighten up your game because you are seeing hands a higher rate. The tight play allows you to maximize on optimal hands and still get action without falling asleep. Another key point for multi-tabling is ensuring that you have a good table setup. Some players like using multiple monitors for playing more than 4 or 6 tables and others use various techniques to customize their setup. Either way, most poker software offers cascading or tiling viewing options. Tiling is the most commonly chose option because it allows you to see all the tables at once.
Playing a similar style of game on each table can also help. Different formats require your mental process to switch between games and strategy and can become confusing. Different stake levels can carry completely different calibers of players, which can also get quite confusing. Also, playing multiple tables can help you clear deposit bonuses or reload bonuses much quicker. Hands per hour go way up and so does the rake being collected. Remember, it's the same as when you play one table; use proper table selection. Tables where the average pot size is high along with the percentage of players to the flop are premium multi-table tables. This means that the table has a good amount of loose/passive to loose/aggressive players. Playing tight/aggressive will work out nicely in this setting.
