Disadvantages of Multi Tabling

Multi tabling is when an online poker player plays more then one table at once.  All the major poker sites allow this, and encourage it.  Although you get to see more hands per hour, there are some disadvantages to multi tabling.  The first we'll talk about is losing more money.

If you're purely a social player then multi tabling is a bad idea.  If you don't have enough skill to win at one table, then you're going to do even worse when you try to play multiple tables.  Instead of increasing your winning rate, you'll be increasing your losing rate.  However, if you're a solid, skilled player, then keep reading.

If you play at only two tables, you shouldn't feel rushed.  However, once you get up to three or more tables, things can start to get hectic.  Since poker sites have time limits for you to make your move, usually around 15 seconds, you need to be quick thinking to play three or more tables.  Also, with so many hands being dealt at once, you may end up "mis-clicking" if one table pops up in front of another.

One great way to prevent this is to get an additional monitor.  If you run two monitors, you can easily play five to six tables with no overlap, if not more.

Another problem with playing multiple tables is making loose decisions.  If you have a good hand on one table, and a draw on another table, you will be much more likely to make loose calls with your draw so you can focus on your good hand on the other table.  When you're multi tabling, you really need to focus on your decisions so this doesn't happen.

Besides making bad decisions, sometimes players simply misread hands when they're multi tabling.  For example, if you have a good hand on one table, and a bad hand on another, you may just fold the bad hand to a bet, not realizing you just hit your gutshot straight draw!  Also, you are more likely to use the "Fold to any" button, and may miss out on backdoor draws that you hit.

This article is part of a two piece series.  Check out the other article here: The Advantages of Multi Tabling in Poker