To MultiTable or Move up in stakes

If you are a successfull multi table player then you need to move up in stakes. Well to clarify, is your goal in poker to become great and make Bookoo dollars or, are you fine with grinding out that $600 dollars a week ? If you are a consistently profitable multi tabler then that means you have successfully grasped and put into effect the principles and dynamics which govern those stakes you currently play. If you are smart/dedicated enough to do this then you are ready to try on the principles and dynamics which govern a higher limit (single table). In doing this you are always getting better and steadily increasing the amount of money you will make in poker in the long run.


I write this because I am in this situation and I am trying to decide whether or not to move up.

Does anyone disagree ?

we need more specifics.

what sites/level do you play at?
how many tables are you playing now?
what is your set up? how many monitors, using pokertracker and HUD?
how big is your bankroll?
what are your pokertracker stats?

move up and multi-table if you're beating current stakes and have an adequate bankroll

I'm a firm believer that, if you are playing poker to make money, playing just one or two tables is a big waste. Others will disagree, but I think 4 should be minimum for any serious player.

I agree if you are happy with your game and substantially better than average opp that multitabling all the time is the way to go.

But I find a lot of decisions too automatic when multitabling that I like thinking through more when I'm working on fixing leaks or moving up levels.

Anyone who multitables will make more than anyone who does not. Someone multitabling 2/4 would probably make more money than someone who single tables 5/10. Single tabling is for casinos!

i get fancy play syndrome when i dont play enough tables.

Originally Posted by TerryToma

i get fancy play syndrome when i dont play enough tables.

QFT...although I rarely play more than two or three tables, if I'm only playing one I start getting tricky

I'm not sure if this would be confusing but I'v heard people recomend to add tables of the higher limit slowly. First just 1-2, and leave the rest at your usually limit. You can add more tables if it goes good or move back down if you get whooped

$$$$ per hour is the most important factor here.

Originally Posted by bantam222

I'm not sure if this would be confusing but I'v heard people recomend to add tables of the higher limit slowly. First just 1-2, and leave the rest at your usually limit. You can add more tables if it goes good or move back down if you get whooped

i do this when moving up, and i like it. it doesn't ever cause confusion really.

I am in process moving up from 25 PL. I have found
good strategy to keep 2-3 tables at lower limits and add
higher limit tables gradually. the most important
factor for me is table selection not the stakes. I like
loose/wild games most.

Yesterday I was playing with 2x25PL FR, 50NL 7max,
100NL 7max, 200NL FR. I had a real nice session and
weekend. Over 30 BB/100 in all limits 2000 hands.

I have tried short-handed games lately and man they can
be very juicy!

I also ordered new 24" WS monitor with 1920x1200 resolution
so Im planning to go from current 6 tables to over 10 tables.

My biggest error when I started to move up was to think that
I have to play "advanced" poker in higher limits. I tried to
make plays more often and be more aggressive than I usually
am.

Last week I made a big discovery! I dont have to change anything
in my play! I just have to find similar tables at higher limits I
kill at lower limits...

And those kind of tables exist in shorthanded and even FR.

T.

Originally Posted by Turska

I am in process moving up from 25 PL. I have found
good strategy to keep 2-3 tables at lower limits and add
higher limit tables gradually. the most important
factor for me is table selection not the stakes. I like
loose/wild games most.

Yesterday I was playing with 2x25PL FR, 50NL 7max,
100NL 7max, 200NL FR. I had a real nice session and
weekend. Over 30 BB/100 in all limits 2000 hands.

I have tried short-handed games lately and man they can
be very juicy!

I also ordered new 24" WS monitor with 1920x1200 resolution
so Im planning to go from current 6 tables to over 10 tables.

My biggest error when I started to move up was to think that
I have to play "advanced" poker in higher limits. I tried to
make plays more often and be more aggressive than I usually
am.

Last week I made a big discovery! I dont have to change anything
in my play! I just have to find similar tables at higher limits I
kill at lower limits...

And those kind of tables exist in shorthanded and even FR.

T.

where you playin these days tursk?

Ultimately you want the best hourly rate you can get. Personally I have no incentive to move up just for the heck of it.. but if the stakes double and my winrate doesn't drop more than 50% then I'll be making more money - and it's a good idea.

So I'd say, take a shot at the higher stake, and play enough hands to see what your approximate winrate is.. then do the math to see where it is most $$/hour to play.

Apart from that, sometimes I just like the challenge, so I'll make play decisions that aren't the most +ev in order to get better at poker..

Originally Posted by jackvance

Ultimately you want the best hourly rate you can get. Personally I have no incentive to move up just for the heck of it.. but if the stakes double and my winrate doesn't drop more than 50% then I'll be making more money - and it's a good idea.

So I'd say, take a shot at the higher stake, and play enough hands to see what your approximate winrate is.. then do the math to see where it is most $$/hour to play.

Apart from that, sometimes I just like the challenge, so I'll make play decisions that aren't the most +ev in order to get better at poker..

I sort of disagree.. I think probably you should be willing to take the cut in hourly rate as your stepping into a level of play that you may not be confident with/ also the game will be different. So you would have to learn to play differently (tweak your game). This may take several weeks even months !!!! Eventually though as previously posted once you are adept at the general principles and dynamics at that level time to move up and do it all again......

I think to really improve your game, you gotta be able to concentrate on just one maybe 2 tables. atleast that is what I do. I multi table to make the cash, but I single table to get better.

It really depends what your goals are. I'm a perfectionist and I used to think just like you. But one day I realized getting "better" is overrated and ring games is all about the money for me. That's partially because I'm not that talented so even if I tried, I probably wouldn't get that good.

Besides, playing 1-2 tables at high(er) stakes requires MORE concentration IMO than more tables at your familiar stakes.

NB: this does not apply if you are playing less than 100NL

of course it requires more concentration, the players are better. I would imagine as you spend more time playing against players of their caliber less concentration is required to be profitable. This is the point of moving up and learning the game thoroughly at a higher limit. I don't think a person ever really plateaus

another way of getting used to a higher level (granted your br is ready) is to just short stack ninja 1 table of the next level while also playing your current level.