Tools for Multitabling
When we multitable, we are essentially playing a different game than we are when we play on a single table. The most common reason for this is that in one handed play, our minds can process the information about the table better since there are less players to focus on. In a multitable session, however, there are several players to focus on and trying to get a good read on all of them with just our own minds and eyes can be frustrating if not downright impossible for most players.
So the community decided to innovate. Behold, the glory that is the HUD. HUD is an acronym for heads-up display. For the poker player this means that there is a display over each player that dissects his general playing pattern.
Poker software such as Poker Tracker, Hold ‘Em Manager, Poker CoPilot and others offer this as part of the package. What it does is simply track stats on players you play against. The reason this is especially helpful for multitabling is that it gives you an idea of how often a certain player plays, and how they play. Many HUDs give detailed statistics such as percentage of the time a player voluntarily puts money in the pot, 3-bets, checkraises, raises preflop, and his level of aggression.
Essentially these stats give you more room to strategize against a certain opponent without having to make the read yourself. And since there are many more opponents to read in a multitable session, the HUD becomes an invaluable asset to have. I highly recommend to anyone that hasn’t used one, to try it in a multitable session and see how much easier it is to make decisions against the players you’re up against.
