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. Common online multi-table tournaments are the Guaranteed events. The Guaranteed payouts can reach over $500,000 which Party Poker is known for. They also opened up a quick play version for Mac and poker Linux tournament players.
The Dangers of Multi-Tabling
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.
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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?
It's Stressful
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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
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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.
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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.