Multiple Poker Tables
When people learn how to play online poker, there is no doubt that they want to learn ho be good enough to play two or more poker games at a time. This is one of the benefits of online poker over casino poker. Online poker allows a player to play multiple poker tables at any given time. Many players choose this option. And that is very, very, very good for certain people (mostly newer players). No matter how good a poker player is, it is inevitable that when playing two or more poker games, their ability in online poker will diminish a little or a lot. This shouldn't be surprising, since a person can only pay attention to one poker table at a time. A player making $20 an hour playing one poker game is simply not going to make $40 an hour playing two games.
It will happen, that at one point or another, poker hands will overlap, small opportunities will be missed, and decisions rushed. Some of these decisions could be major decisions, too. The poker player may do better overall by playing two games, say making $34 an hour combined from the two games, but as opponents, they will do less well in any particular poker game they play in. This means, instead of facing a player who has an expectation to take $20 an hour out of a particular poker game, the poker table will face one who will only take out maybe $17. And, a player who expects to lose $30 an hour will now lose $37 an hour (or whatever) in the poker game. There may be a few scatterbrained players who the confusion of playing in two games actually benefits but those people will be rare, and they will likely play so poorly that it hardly matters.
Like any decision in life, there is good and bad. But no matter what the outcome, it is going to be due to whether expectations were met or not. The question is where does that expectation/money go? It could be possible for anyone at the poker table to get some. This is why it is important to watch a poker game for a little bit, so as to point out who is playing in more than one poker table.
This is not to say that someone shouldn't play two games (once they have experience playing poker online). If someone is like the player above who could make $20 an hour playing one game or $34 an hour playing two, by all means, they should play two. They just need to recognize that there are many strategies available to be used against a player playing two poker games.
Poker players trying to play in more than one poker table are typically the one that are targeted first at a poker table. For instance, suppose someone is head-up in a fairly passive texas Hold'em game against a player who is also playing in a high-action second game. Suppose both players check the flop. Now the turn card comes, and one player pauses (the one only playing one poker game). They take some time. What could have happened was the opponent very possibly was just dealt a hand in the lively game; very possibly a great hand. He doesn't want to be dawdling over this stinky little pot here, so he may check the "check/fold in turn" box as he impatiently waits for the other player. Players who play two games inevitably are going to be easier to bluff. They will most likely have more attention at one poker table or the other. This is the best time to take advantage.
