Why Multi-Tabling Makes Bad Poker Players

I don't multi-table. At least not in the traditional sense of running 8 tables at once on Party Poker. I sometimes open up 2 tables at the same time, but they are always two different games (sometimes NL Holdem and Omaha, or SH Limit Holdem and Seven Card Stud). I think that I 3-tabled 10/20 on Party a few times just to see what it was like and try out the new software (the resizing thing is neat).

I have a "friend" who ALWAYS multi-tables. He datamines and now with a cracked version of Poker Tracker, will be able to bring up instant stats on his opponents. You should see all of the trouble he went through to try and crack Poker Tracker. Why someone with a 16K bankroll would go through so much trouble to avoid paying $55 is beyond me, but I digress.

Anyways, I play my friend a bit regularly since he has a car and I do not and there aren't any cardrooms in walking distance. He also has one occasion watched me play online. While he is a solid player, he has real trouble understanding the intricacies of the game. I will make a move or a bluff or just play hand in a way that baffles him. I try to explain it, but he just fails to grasp the psychology of poker and that is where I think that multi-tabling really hurts players.

Sure, I could go and multi-table 20/40, but my win rate would probably go from an average of 3.84 BB/100 to 1/100 and even though I could theoretically be making more from multi-tabling, I know I would get burnout because it would become very mechanical. There is nothing like making a great bluff at a Limit game because you are in your opponent's head. Sure Poker Tracker could tell me what an opponent would historically do, but people aren't static creatures and the best decision at the moment might be the wrong one over other time because that person's mood is different. Actively thinking about the game and making the adjustments for a table at that specific point in time is what keeps me excited and ready to play. I don't want Poker to seem like a regular 9-5 job, I want it to be something I enjoy.

I can't multitable 30/60 at the Bellagio and when I am ready for the Big Games, I will be a fierce competitor and not some schmoe who can only see the numbers and not the heart of the game.

P.S. I might be editing this for the next few days for clarity and content. So don't be surprised if I suddenly rewrite a paragraph.