Online poker is a game of skill, strategy, and often, nerves. Yet for many players, especially those new to the virtual felt, it can feel like an uphill battle. There’s a prevailing sense among casual and even some more experienced players that the odds are stacked against them—no matter how good their hands, their winnings seem to slip through their fingers. One major culprit for this frustrating experience is the phenomenon of multi-tabling.
What is Multi-Tabling?
Multi-tabling refers to playing multiple poker tables simultaneously. Unlike in a live casino where you’re limited to one table at a time, online poker allows players to open several tables and play at all of them concurrently. While this might sound like a way to increase potential winnings, it often feels like a losing battle for many reasons.
The Temptation of Volume
One of the appeals of multi-tabling is volume. Poker players are always looking for ways to maximize their winnings, and playing more hands in less time seems like a solid strategy. Instead of playing one table and averaging 100 hands per hour, a player can open four or more tables and multiply their number of hands, potentially increasing their profits.
However, this volume comes at a cost. Playing more hands means making decisions faster. For some seasoned players, this is second nature, but for many, the quality of decision-making deteriorates as more tables are added. The more tables you have open, the more you lose the ability to concentrate on each one, leading to mistakes, missed opportunities, and a general sense of being overwhelmed.
The Problem of Focus
Focus is everything in poker. Whether you’re trying to read your opponents’ betting patterns or calculating pot odds, a distracted mind is a losing one. When you’re multi-tabling, your focus is fragmented. You’re constantly jumping from one table to another, trying to keep up with the action, and it becomes easy to overlook critical details. A simple misclick or misread situation can lead to costly mistakes.
Moreover, online poker platforms are fast-paced. You don’t get the luxury of sitting back, taking your time to think through a hand. If you’re on one table, that’s manageable. But with several tables running, you may find yourself forced into decisions you didn’t have time to properly consider.
This loss of focus is often the reason why multi-tabling feels like a battle you can’t win. You’re no longer playing your best poker—you’re playing a survival game, and in poker, that rarely ends well.
Increased Variance and Emotional Drain
Another factor that makes multi-tabling a difficult endeavor is variance. Variance in poker refers to the natural swings of luck in the game. Every poker player experiences periods of winning and losing, and over time, variance tends to balance out. But when you’re playing multiple tables, variance becomes amplified.
You’re likely to lose more hands in rapid succession simply due to the number of games you’re playing. These losses, even if they’re mathematically expected, can take a toll on your emotions. Losing streaks hit harder when they happen across four or five tables at once, leaving players feeling as if they can’t catch a break.
Emotional fatigue sets in, and suddenly, your mental state impacts your gameplay. You may start playing more conservatively than you should, or conversely, become overly aggressive to try and recoup your losses. Both approaches lead to more mistakes, reinforcing the sense that you’re fighting a losing battle.
The Skill Gap and Multi-Tabling Masters
One of the reasons why many players feel they can’t compete in online poker is the rise of multi-tabling specialists. These players are pros or semi-pros who have honed their skills to the point where they can play multiple tables effectively and profitably. They’re not just average players—they’re often using tracking software, heads-up displays (HUDs), and advanced strategies that give them a significant edge.
While you’re struggling to keep up with four tables, they might be handling ten or more, making optimal decisions on each one. Competing against these players feels like playing in a different league, and for many casual players, it’s demoralizing.
The result is that even if you’re making generally sound decisions, you’re likely up against someone who has already mastered the art of multi-tabling, making it feel impossible to come out ahead. The more tables you play, the more likely you are to run into these high-volume grinders who are more than happy to take your money while you’re struggling to keep up.
Finding the Balance: Quality vs. Quantity
So, is multi-tabling always a bad idea? Not necessarily. For players who have developed the necessary skills and can maintain their focus across multiple tables, it can be a profitable strategy. However, for most players, especially those still learning the intricacies of poker, it’s often better to focus on quality rather than quantity.
By playing fewer tables, you can make better decisions, observe your opponents more closely, and avoid the overwhelming feeling that multi-tabling often brings. You’ll be able to focus on improving your game, rather than just surviving the chaos of juggling multiple tables.
If you’re finding that online poker feels like a losing battle, it might be worth stepping back and evaluating your approach. Instead of diving into the multi-table madness, try playing one or two tables at a time. You’ll likely find that your decision-making improves, your results become more consistent, and poker starts to feel less like a battle and more like the strategic game it’s meant to be.
Know Your Limits
While multi-tabling can increase the volume of hands you play, it also increases the difficulty of making sound decisions. For many players, the thrill of playing multiple tables can quickly turn into frustration, and what starts as a strategy to win more often ends in feeling like the game is rigged against them.
If you’re serious about improving your online poker skills, start with fewer tables, focus on the quality of your play, and slowly build your ability to handle more games if that’s your goal. Most importantly, remember that poker is about making the best decisions possible—and to do that, you need focus, patience, and a clear mind, not just more tables.
