Online poker, by its nature, is a different beast than live poker. If you were to head out to a poker room in Las Vegas, then you would view a much different scene than the one you see in online cardrooms. There are plenty of differences worth noting, but the most obvious is the fact that the majority of online poker seems are full of poker players sitting at numerous tables at once, aka multitabling!

For most poker players, playing a single table can often feel quite slow and boring. Thus, playing at more than one table is almost a necessity for the majority of online players.

While ensuring faster action and more hands per hour, playing at multiple tables can also be a great way to increase your winrate when playing online poker.

If you want to become a successful multi-tabler, there are a number of key have to remember key things you will need to remember. Following these simple multi tabling rules will help you begin to master online poker.

Do Not Be Afraid To Play At More Than One Table

No matter which online poker site you choose, you will always have the option of playing at multiple tables. Depending upon which site you play at, there will be a different limit for how many tables you can play at one time.

Some poker rooms will only allow you to play at two tables at once, while other rooms will allow you to play an unlimited number of tables. Most player prefer to play between two and four tables at once.

At William Hill Poker for example, you can play at up to 16 tables simultaneously. Why would one want to play at this many tables instead of focusing on one table? If you are a solid player, you can increase your bankroll more quickly this way, as for most players, more hands per hour equals greater profits.

Of course, it is not always easy to win at the same rate when playing multiple tables at one time. In fact most players winrate drops slightly the more tables they play. However, because they are playing more hands, there overall winnings (hourly winrate) still increases.

Effective multi tabling involves making lots of quick decisions. As a result many software tools have been made available that help with mass multi tabling, the most popular of which is known as Table Ninja.

The little boxes at the bottom of your screen can often come in handy to make multi tabling easier. They let you decide what move you are going to make before the action gets to you. You can utilize these boxes in order to make decisions before the action comes around to you, thus freeing up your time to make decisions on other tables.

If you choose not to use these boxes, you run the risk of missing a hand on a table or becoming overwhelmed because of the overall pace of play. When you play at four different tables, for instance, you will want to use the boxes in order to safeguard yourself. You might get back around to the table in time to decide what to do when the decision is on you, but just in case, the automatic system will make sure that you are not timed out.

Some players are hesitant to use this option because they feel that other players can notice the strength of your hand based upon this method. The truth of the matter is that most players at lower level tables do not look for things like this. They just do not have the ability to make those types of reads. Also, most other players will also be playing multiple tables, so unless they are paying close attention to timing tells, then you should be in the clear.

This is a rule that you absolutely must adhere to at all times. These games, even at low stakes, can produce some huge bets from players. You have to be completely focused on your tables in order to succeed in these games.

The majority of casual online poker players do not have the skill or focus to be able to succeed when playing more than two different tables in no-limit play. When a big bet is posed to you, a lot of thinking is involved. You have to run through all of the decisions that the player has made up to this point and you have to re-think the hand in your head. Thus, make sure that you feel comfortable with the number of tables you’re playing at. If the action is moving too fast, simply close one table at a time until you reach a level where you feel comfortable.

You might think that you are an Omaha wizard and a Stud Hi-Lo master, but it is not smart to go around mixing and matching these games when you are multi-tabling. Online poker is unique in that it gives players the opportunity to partake in a number of different games, but this does not mean you have to do so at one time.

When you try to play different games, it is sometimes difficult to switch from one line of thinking into another. Even more importantly, you run the risk of confusing one table with another and making a mistake because you were operating under false pretenses (i’ve made this mistake while playing Omaha high and Omaha 8/b at the same time!).

When you have a lot of tables open in your poker client, you are going to have to make fast, tough decisions in a hectic time frame anyway. Why add something else to that equation and complicate matters even further? The risk associated with doing this is extremely high when compared to the relatively low rewards. Play it safe and keep your play limited to only one specific game. When you get tired of one, you can start up a couple of tables of another game.

There is a difference in playing social poker online with some buddies versus playing serious poker to try to increase your bankroll. Sure, it can be fun to interact with players if you are just sitting at one table, but doing this at multiple tables is a huge waste of time. There is a ton of risk involved with chatting during this type of multi-table session. You never know when some annoying banter from an opponent can set you into a tilt-enhanced rage. In this case, you will be likely to take your poor decisions to other tables, as well. The majority of poker siteswill let you turn the chat function off during play. Make sure that you take advantage of this in order to protect yourself from losses. You have enough going on when trying to play multiple tables. There is no reason why you should add chatting to that mix.

Multi-tabling is an effective way to increase your hourly winrate. Like with all things in poker, it should be done carefully and with proper planning. If you get too far out in front of yourself, you could end up losing big when you play multiple tables. If you follow the simple rules outlined in this guide, you will stand a better chance of beating up on the competition at a few different tables. From there, your bankroll can grow a substantial amount.