Multi Tabling - More Profit? or Defeats the Purpose?

My low limit MTT multi table player, is down $7. Out of the last 200 tourneys, has made final table 8 times. At .10 cents a tourney, that is $20. Not sure if this player wants to move up, but spending more than you make is disastrous on the bankroll. This player has not changed stakes, but $20 minus $7 (not counting the tourneys he played after making money) equivocates to at least $13 profit (he actually made $18). At this stage, one should move up to where variance is a little less (.25 cent tourneys with fewer players).

Multi tabling is not always the answer to more cash flow. Phil Gordon recommends beginners stick to one table, and frowns on folks going for 16 tables. Now, many of these players are relying on HUDs to help, but HUDs are unreliable (as in, someone had a tilt streak and is over it, someone has just gone on tilt, someone always continues with a min bet on flop, whether monster or nothing, etc., renders the HUDs useless). Basic strategy taught at the Full Tilt Academy not only covers starting hands, but also position plays and opponent reads. C-betting is an art not learned from ABC poker, but by knowing your opponent.

Its because of these lessons, and I never had used HUDs, that I am fairly successful at Rush Poker (its only the Bad Beat that gets me in there, and HUDs don't protect against bad beats). One player running a blog doesn't know what to do without running Poker Edge, a centralized database that is verboten on many sites. They need to know pot odds, etc, without actually gaining the experience from playing.

Its that experience that distinguishes Professional Playing from Wannabe. In an earlier post, I was labeled a Calling Station (LAG). These stats are definitely OFF (except for the part that stated I can't be bluffed, HaHa). While I might start with 2 tables, possibly work up to three, I don't see the need to mass Multi Table, watched the results from Boku87, and it definitely wasn't pretty.

Depending on Computer Programs to pick out Fish Tables, Player Stats, Forbidden Bots, etc, really won't help you be the winning Poker Player you want to be. Suppose you make it to the WSOP, what is going to help you there? You need to play the player as much as you need to play the game, and direct observation, at THAT POINT IN TIME (not everyone plays consistently the same way), will give you the winning edge. Also, experience pumps the edge, and a HUD doesn't give you experience, it gives you STATS of past performance.

A word on Mult Tabling tournaments: you miss out on PRIME OPPORTUNITIES to play that winning Edge. You are not observing your opponents (our hero from the first paragraph went all in first hand with J9 off, definite improvement needed there). You are pretty much stuck with ABC poker, and can't sniff with those big stacks and a call with 87 suited. Positional play, complex betting, bluffing, all become a lost art when you have 12 tables open, and are either relying on statistical info, or simply trying to minimize your variance. Many of the Pros on Full Tilt, UB, and Stars, only play a few tables at the most (these are the seasoned veterans, that also play live games).

Don't fall into a trap on relying on software for your game, because this does not a winning player make. Try not to lose your total bankroll multi tabling, easily done even if you are playing in your bankroll range. Learn the game, learn the reads, lose the HUDs. My take on conquering my challenge.

P.S., my stats for PokerStars, with about 110 games played (all low level), profit is over $80, but I cashed that out for this challenge. And that's just the tourneys :-)



Note: The last 25 or so tourney's were not part of the profits, because they were experiments prior to the challenge, but after the cash out.