Multi-tabling, +EV or not so good for you?

Poker Discussion
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Some of you might remember Randy Lew, aka nanonoko. This individual is remembered by being able to play 24 tables at once and becoming a success because of it.

But times were different back then. Playing vast amount of tables doesn’t give you any time to think and requires almost robotic decision making. Back then it might have worked better but today even the fish are smarter and really soft tables are hard to find.

Sure, you can still see people on Twitch multi-tabling tournaments, but one has to ask how good is that for your health and to your mental focus?

High profile streamers who are also high level poker players play maybe 4-9 tables at once on any given day. Some of them display their bankroll publicly, and one can see that they do break even but there is very little if any growth.

So you might want to ask why is that? Is this a model to copy or to avoid?

Multi-tabling is a form of multi-tasking and science has an opinion about this kind of behavior. Great multi-taskers who can keep all the balls in the air day after day and juggle work, home, and hobbies are appraised not only by employers but by Hollywood as well.

But it’s bad for your brain

Studies (1, 2) have shown that multi-tasking affects your brain but not in a good way. True, none of the studies were made with poker players but I wouldn’t treat us as a separate group. Playing many tables is, in my view, as bad as dividing our focus between different devices.

Multi-tasking may decrease the density of your brains gray matter in certain areas, and it may lower your overall performance.

I understand the allure of multi-tabling, and making most of your time at the tables - but on the other hand…

The edges in poker are shrinking smaller and smaller. Are we willingly giving our edge to our villain by wrecking our brain? You’ll be judge.

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Hi Nafor

I think in the modern poker worlds massive multitabling is no more really recommended since the edges are smaller and smaller and playing autopilot on 24 tables is probably not too profitable anymore. Also rooms cut a lot on rakeback/rewards. For example the stars VIP program is now different than it is back then. In the past heavy grinders would get a lot of rewards
Some of them only played Break Even but because of rakeback/reward they were profitable.

But I think up to 12 tables should be still doable for some heavy crushers, even in the modern climate.

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I’m so impressed by players who can do this. I’ve never been able to handle more than 4 tables at once, and even then I feel there’s a significant drop-off in my level of play.

Some people’s brains are just hungry, hungry hippos!

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Hi, Naforole.

I wouldn’t consider multi-tabling true multi-tasking since you are doing the same activity only against more opponents.

If you play really high stakes in cash games where every little mistake can cost you a lot of money I can see your point about the importance of being 100% focused on your opponents and every decision must be almost perfect.

But at lower stakes cash games (like under 100NL) and in MTTs where the stacks become short (10-20BB) very fast the decisions are often almost automatic even obvious.

As long as you don’t play so many tables that you can’t make reads and take notes on players I think multi-tabling up to around 6 tables is doable for most players without giving up any big edge or losing concentration.

It’s impossible to have a win rate that is X times as high on one table compared to the win rate per hour playing X number of tables.

So for people who can keep their concentration, multi-tabling is still the best way to earn money playing poker online.

How many tables an individual can handle is very individual and depends on experience and mental abilities.

And as long as you don’t feel stressed or play too long sessions I think your brain gets trained and not overloaded.

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My HDMI flat screen Sanyo TV that’s hooked up to my lap top, can only fit 3 multi tables into screen at time. One, I could have more multi tables, stacked on top of each other in layers, where can see only 2 and 1/2 tables, and have to click back and forth between all the tables, but since wouldn’t be able to see all the tables at same time, then going to miss some of the action, reads, can’t hand range as effectively, etc.

Not only that, but I can’t handle more then 3 multi tables anyways. Like I said I miss reads, exploits, action, handranging, etc, if I multi table more then 3 tables. Add to that, that there is more variables, nuances, etc to keep track of in a MTT, than in a ring cash game, and how I only play Mtt’s, Sit N Go’s, and that’s another reason why I can only multi table 2,3 tournaments at a time. But since the 2,3 tournament tables are only slightly overlapping, I usually can follow all the action, players, nuances, etc. That said my edge very lightly drops a very little tiny bit multi tabling 2,3 MTT’s, but I am good enough, have a big enough edge, that multi tabling tournaments to play more Volume is profitable play chips wise. And the increased volume, winning at a very slightly smaller rate, is made up for by all the Volume. That said I don’t multi table MTT’s all the time, and only do it between about 1/4 to 1/3 to 2/5 of the time. I do think Multi tabling is something only a extremely good player should, could, would, etc, do, etc, if they can, able to, and don’t recommend it for beginners, new players, fish, recs, regs, etc, and only recommend if a player is good enough, has a lot of experience, has been playing for weeks, months, years, etc. And that’s because lesser players have so little if any edge, that last thing they need is for any edge they might have if any, to drop into a negative, and cause them to lose more.

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I am glad to know that it isn’t good for your brain health. I normally only play one table at a time, but sometimes I have to play multiple events at the same time. I think my play suffers but for one thing, it makes me play much tighter because it is easier to pre-click the “fold” button when OOP or with a marginal hand. I think more volume is good and will help even out variance, but I do not find it enjoyable.

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If you wake up one day in a strait-jacket, in an all-white padded wall room, you’ll know

you played one too many tables.

The record for the most online poker tables played in one hour is held by Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. He managed to play 62 tables in one hour on April 28, 2009, at the Monte Carlo Bay Resort in Monaco. This impressive feat was achieved while he was a member of the PokerStars Team Pro1.

Start at 2:15 to find out how many tables he plays online nowadays

Rest of the Story:

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier’s session was profitable! He ended up with a profit of $23.60 after playing 62 tables in one hour. It was an impressive display of skill and endurance, especially considering the $6.50 buy-in for each sit and go table.

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Perfect Nafor, it was a topic that I really wanted to address, and I agree with you in general, playing many tables at the same time, the player will only apply in a crude way, only the game statistics themselves, such as range, position , hand value and the statistical part of the game, nothing more than that.

Personally, I like to play a few tables, to concentrate on advanced plays, bluffs, reading the opponent, you are much more focused on the game, on the behavior of your opponents, etc… this gives you an advantage because reading the game and opponents is important in poker, but it becomes almost impossible with 5, 7 or more open tables, I believe that 2 to 3 open tables are enough, so as not to lose so much of the individual reading of each player, I personally prefer it that way.

Nice topic Nafor, Hugs.

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I can play 2 tables with focus and have fun . 4 tables maximum I can handle well I could say . With more tables I have problem or it might be very difficult to follow action , make good decisions , press buttons in time before my time to act runs out . Nowadays I dont play a lot like I used to , do now I think one only or two at the most , more I feel uncomfortable . But if they are freerolls , then I have no problem yo play them .

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Hi folks,

i would say for the most regular poker players it is enough to play 4 or 5 tables at the same time.
If there is a freeroll under these 5 tables it is good because you wanna pay least attention to this one and if there is also a cash table where you can leave at anytime - can be a good opportunity if other tables need more attention!

I would never play 4 or 5 tables simultaneously with buy in which is on an average level for my bankroll.

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Multi-tabling is indeed impressive, but for me, it feels like it’s more of a trap these days, so I usually play in only 1 table a time (I’m just a recreative player though). One table let me think clearly and make better decisions, which beats burning out trying to juggle too much!