The Dangers of Multi-Tabling

Multi table tournaments are one of the most popular forms of online poker, because they give players a chance at a huge score with only a minimal investment. Early Stages MTT Strategy The early stages of a poker tournament are when you should be taking things easy and looking for simple opportunities to win pots. Multi-table poker tournaments (also known as MTT's for short) of all field sizes and buy-in levels can be found online 24 hours a day. This article will cover basic multi-table tournament strategy at the various stages that a tournament will go through before the lucrative final table. MTT prize pool structure. In this article we will point out some of the best live and online poker tournament strategy tips you can use to improve your game as quickly as possible. Tip 1: Play The Right Starting Hands Whether it be lack of patience, or an unfamiliarity with opening ranges, many tournament poker players still open too wide. Multi-Table Tournament (MTT) Strategy The multi-table poker tournament – or ‘MTT’ – is a staple of both the online and live poker worlds and without it the poker industry wouldn’t be where it is today. Multi-tabling is not a new online poker strategy and has even allowed some players make a living at some low limits such at 50nl. Some player can even make a decent wage multi-tabling the micro-stakes games (10-25nl). I was fortunate enough to be able to pay my way through university by multi-tabling on PokerStars.

Now you've got some idea of how to increase the number of tables you play, the next thing to point out is some of the dangers.

Personal Problems

The first danger with multi-tabling is that it's difficult to do and that it's not for everyone. It takes a unique person to be able to think quickly on what to do if they need to flat-call a button raise with aces against an aggressive early-position player who's 3-bet with 100bb on one table, while at another table deciding whether or not to 3-bet a LP opener with 5-5.

There's a lot of game flow to be considered in both decisions, but it's difficult to follow each and every hand in detail when you're playing 1,000 hands per hour.

Online Poker Multi Table Tournament Strategy Ideas

Here's a good tip: after a session, go back and look at your biggest hands of the session. A brief recap will show if you are making any big mistakes. Did you lose money during the session because you just lost a few key flips or was it because you made a few bad decisions while trying to do too much?

Online Poker Multi Table Tournament Strategy Tactics

It's Stressful

The more decisions you have to make, the more stressful it can become and this will often lead to tilt. If the amount of information you're having to process is getting too much, then cut down the amount of tables you're playing. Poker is all about making optimal decisions and you can't do that if you're stressed.

The Cost

Another danger with multi-tabling is the cost. Every time you add a new game you increase the amount of money you're risking.

If you're thinking about adding more tables, make sure your bankroll is big enough to cover it. Your overall buy-in should be consistent with your bankroll, so don't ignore this if you're thinking about multi-tabling.

On top of increasing the amount it costs for you to buy into your games, the effects of a downswing will also be increased when you play more than one table. A bad run of luck will be magnified massively when you multi-table, so you have to make sure that your bankroll is robust enough to endure a tough session.

If it's not, then either scale back the number of tables you're playing or dropping down a level or two. Either way, you have to keep an eye on the money you're spending when you multi-table.