$16 Per Hour SNG Blueprint – Part #3 The Ultimate Multi-Tabling Guide
Mark's Introduction To This Section The change of mindset required to understand prize pool equity at the bubble and how this changes your strategy though out the game is significant, which is why the first sections of this course were designed to build this important foundation. Once you have understood where your profits come from the next step is to increase those profits – by adding more games per hour. In this section of the course I’ll get you playing between 6 and 8 tables at once, this is actually easy after a little practice – though does require some adjustments to your strategy and approach. This is the second from last part of the course. While it is a little shorter than the others it is an important factor in getting you to the $16+ per hour mark. In one week you will receive part #4 of the course, this will bring together everything we have covered so far – and then add strategy tips, insights and moves which will give you the potential to squeeze more profit out of every game you play!
GL at the tables, Mark http://www.sitandgoplanet.com
Copyright Notice: The contents of the $16 / hour SNG Blueprint are copyright Planet Corporation Kft and may not be reproduced without express written permission. We proactively protect this text, and all associated websites using Copyscape TM, and have a “no exceptions” policy of always reporting infringements to ISPs, Search Engines and any 3rd party sites our material is used to commercially promote.
1
$16 / Hr SNG Blueprint – List Of Contents Chapter #1 – Basics Of Multi-Tabling, Revisiting The Math Of Adding More Tables Chapter #2 – How We Will Do It, One More Table Per Day! Chapter #3 – Practicalities #1, Tiled or Cascaded? Chapter #4 – Practicalities #2, Continual Or In Sets? Chapter #5 – Practicalities #3, Notes, Tilt, Tools And Time Chapter #6 – Practicalities #4, Best Time Of Day To Play? Chapter #7 – Strategy Adjustments, Recapping From Parts 1 and 2 Chapter #8 – Bringing It All Together!
2
Chapter #1 – Revisiting The Reasons For Multi-Tabling, The ROI Math And Adding More Tables In the first 2 parts of this course I suggested that you add one more table each week. At the same time we discussed some of the strategies adjustments which make multi-tabling possible. To recap these include focusing on getting to the bubble, folding all but the very best hands when there is action ahead and focusing on the ‘instant feedback’ hands in the early game pre-flop such as small pairs (you either hit a set or you do not!). As you become familiar with the bubble math we covered in Part #2, this will become second nature too – allowing you to focus your efforts on those situations which do require a bit of thought. We are going to aim to get you from 3 or 4 up to 6 tables at once by the end of this week. This is easier than it sounds first time, and by the end of the course I hope that most of you will feel comfortable with 8+ tables at once. There are some options on how to do this which will be covered in the chapters below, by adding one more table at a time you will be an expert multitabler in no time at all. The Math, Revisited $16 an hour is easy to reach if you play enough games, we compromise a small amount of our edge on each table and then add up the smaller edges. Since the turbo games are usually over in 40 to 45 minutes and we will bust out of some early I’m going to assign an average of 30 minutes per game. Over my recommended 2 hour session with 8 tables, starting the last games at the 1 hour and 20 minute mark we should be able to play around 22 games or 11 per hour. I recommend a refreshing break 20 minute break from the games after this before returning for another session. Let us look at the math, for Titan Poker for a moment (these numbers work for all sites, this is just an example). If we play the $11 Turbo SNGs we need a ROI of around 13%, at such a soft site that is readily achievable – though over the long run I would not take this return for granted while multi-tabling. Those players who have not yet built a bankroll are advised to hit these games first, once you have a big enough roll I suggest moving to the next level. If instead we choose the $22 turbo SNGs (Called “Turbo Bakersfield” in the lobby) we need a ROI of around 8%, as a multi-tabler (again at a soft site) this is much more realistic. As you get more comfortable you can even improve on this to the 10% range – comfortably beating the $16 per hour.
3
Recap Of Our Objective: To Play 11+ games per hour at an average buy-in of $15 with an average ROI of 10%. Not let us get into the practical aspects, breaking down the key information one point at a time to ensure you will be ‘turning up the volume’ in no time at all.
4
Chapter #2 – How We Will Do It, One More Table At A Time If you are up to a minimum of 3 tables as outlined in the previous parts of the blueprint then great – that is a fantastic start. If you are not quite there yet then your next session should be based on 3 games minimum. You should stick to the lower buy-ins for the next couple of days. If you are currently playing a mixture of $5+50c and $10+$1 games then I recommend you stay at the $5’s. This will stop you being too concerned about the money while we focus on getting the strategy right. You should also open up a notepad window or have a physical notepad with you while you play. This will be used to note any tough decisions and tournament Ids / Hand Id numbers which we spot that might be worth analyzing later. We are going to start this week with 4 tables, end it with 6 or 7, and have you playing 8+ by the time you start working through the final part of the course which will fine tune your profits. Before you start multi-tabling switch off your Instant Messengers, Skype and any browser windows – learning to multi-table requires focus. Concentrate on two things as we move forward through this guide and you play 4+ tables for the first time. Firstly, make plays that will keep your decisions easy, this (importantly) includes folding more often in marginal spots, especially when out of position. Secondly, start to get into the habit of assessing opponents. You will not be able to ‘get reads’ so easily as we add more tables, however the signs of who understands the ‘prize pool equity’ strategy should be simple enough to spot. Make notes on your opponents; highlight the regulars and the inexperienced opponents alike. Those notes will make a big difference to assumed ranges at the bubble and ease of stealing blinds as we go through the mid-game. Once you get used to playing 4 tables at a time then add a 5th and then a 6th – I’m going to advise you stop at 6 for a few hundred games at least to become comfortable before moving up to 8+. We do not have to reach our target immediately as the course has 2 weeks to run!
5
Chapter #3 – Practicalities #1, Tiled or Cascaded? As you add more tables you will need to decide whether you have them all visible on-screen at once, or have them set up on top of each other so that the one requiring your attention next comes to the top. The setup where they are all visible is called tiled, with cascaded being the stack of tables where only the header of each table is visible. This is largely a matter of personal preference and those who settle on one or the other are often extremely sure that they have the ‘best’ way of doing things. There are compromises, tiled setups can have overlaps and those who cascade often pull out the interesting looking tables from the stack to keep a better eye on them. Each has advantages and disadvantages. With tiled games you can see what is going on at all the tables and focus on any unusual plays or very large pots. At the same time the sheer amount of action can be a distraction, if you have a small screen this can be hard to see too. Cascaded tables make things seem clearer, the tables pop up and you act and move on. While you do not have the distractions, you also have fewer opportunities for reads with this method – though you can pull a table out of the stack if you spot a big hand. One risk with cascading is that you time out on a table and do not realize, since this table will not pop up any more you might blind away your stack before you realize you lost one. My personal preference is for tiled tables; I have a good sized monitor and can actually fit 12 games at a time with only a little overlap. As you build your bankroll from the tables I would recommend investing in a 22 inch or bigger screen – it really helps! Quick Note: You might read about ‘stacked’ tables on blogs and forums. This refers to simply putting all the tables on top of one another, the difference from cascaded is that you do not have the tops of each table visible. Since we are looking play only 8 tables at once this is currently unnecessary compared to the cascaded version in my opinion. My reasons for mentioning this here are to highlight this option for readers who take the next step in multi-tabling and to avoid any confusion with terms you have already read. Exercise: Give both tiled and cascaded tables a shot over your next 2 sessions, this will ensure you are not sticking with one system out of familiarity without giving yourself the opportunity to see if the other system is better.
6
Chapter #4 – Practicalities #2 - Continual Or In Sets? Once you have decided whether to have the tables tiled or cascaded you will need to make a second decision. This is whether to start a new game each time you bust out of each SNG (or win it!), or whether to wait until you finish all (or most of) the games before starting a new set. As before there is no right or wrong answer, this largely comes down to personal preference – as before I will list the pros and cons of each and urge you to experiment a little at the lower buy-ins to find your personal best fit. Continual play allows you to get the maximum number of games in per hour. Starting a new game as soon as you bust from one keeps your ‘maximum’ number going at all times, which is great for your hourly earnings. Cons of this method are that you end up with lots of games at different stages, you might be thinking in terms of push / fold poker one moment, and then have to quickly think of ‘implied odds’ calculations the next. This is possible, though take it from me it can become confusing – especially as you have more and more tables. Playing in sets keeps the games at the same (or at least similar) stages, allowing you to tune in to the early / mid / bubble for all of the tables at once. You guessed it, the con for this is that you end up playing less games as you need to wait until they are all completed before starting the next set. Again I’ll share my personal preference (though, please – find out which works best for you!), this is for sets, with the caveat that I will start new games when I bust out in the first few levels. I will also start new sets as I get down to my last couple of end-games… sometimes starting just a few less tables so that I can keep a good focus on my SAGE!
7
Chapter #5 – Notes, Tilt, Tools And Time As you add more tables you will have less time for some of the beneficial, yet time consuming, activities such as taking notes or looking up your opponent’s stats on popular database sites. I will address some of these important factors in this chapter. Taking Notes: Key to your note taking is how useful the information you store is if you encounter the same player at the tables some time in the future. While ‘Donkey’ or ‘Idiot’ might be a very good description of an individual, it does not tell us too much about their play. For example, some ‘Donkeys’ make extra large bets with aces while others bet the minimum, or whether they are capable of pushing any 2 cards when the situation warrants it at the bubble. By making sure your notes reflect either simple tells or possible hand ranges you are keeping things short (saving time) and also keeping your own mind focused on each players range. Remember, once you give an opponent an accurate range, the math will reveal the optimal play. More on opponents in Part #4 of this course, for now I’ll suggest some simple things to take note of: Early Game: Take note of any hands which players call raises with, this is a huge clue as to the kind of hand they will show up with later on at the bubble. Check-Raises: Keep an eye out for check-raisers, some players use this almost always when out of position and others check and then fold. Exploiting a serial check-raiser is very easy, you get to take free cards in some situations and these players will often help you build a big pot too! Unusual Bet Sizes Early / Mid Game: Note players who make 4x or bigger open raises, this is often the mark of an inexperienced online player or can be a hint that they have a hand they do not really want to see a flop with, such as a mid-pair. Open Limpers: Again, inexperience often leads to too much limping into the pot. These players are unlikely to be following a tight-early / push late strategy and will make classic bubble errors. Watch for players who often raise then suddenly limp-in, this is often a big hand. Super-Tight Players: Make a note of those who play hardly any hands for the first few levels, they can easily be good players employing a ‘Blueprint’ type strategy.
8
Shows: When a player gets a walk in the big blind and shows his trash hand, bets and then shows a bluff or shows a strong hand after everyone folds the turn - you should definitely make a note. Again there is a high likelihood that this player is inexperienced, especially showing rags in the blind and bluffs. Experienced grinders know that SNGs are too short for such nonsense and have seen enough of poker’s variations that they do not need to show you their cards. Bluffing Dry Side Pots: Most players in SNGs will check a hand down when a player is all-in. Those who bet when there is no second pot to win (only the one that the all-in player can win) and then show a weak holding are usually inexperienced... provisionally assign them the ‘Push too tight, call too light’ bubble ranges. Bubble Calls, Hopefully this one is obvious, when you see a call at the bubble which looks ‘light’ immediately take a note. Bubble Raise / Folds: When you see a player with 12 blinds or less raise 3x and then fold to a reraise you can be pretty certain they do not understand the details of prize-pool equity (based on the fact that they do not really understand pot-odds!). Push-Bots: This term refers to players who are pushing all-in at almost every opportunity, often good players! You can assign these types a huge range, though you know you still can not call without a premium hand, right! Multi-Tabling And Tilt And Chat: Tilt needs a special mention when multi-tabling, since a couple of unfortunate outcomes can easily get players shoving all-in (or calling) in bad spots for several other tables too. Being aware of the dangers of tilt is a start, having a plan is even better. I personally like to ‘de-personalize’ the game by switching off the chat and having a table setup without icons. Some people will say that you can get valuable information on your opponents from the chat box. While I agree to an extent I also strongly believe that by depersonalizing the game my edge increases since any ‘what others think of me’ concerns are significantly reduced, allowing me to shove any-2 when it is mathematically good to do so without worrying about being embarrassed by my meager holding if called! Multi-Tabling And Tools: Tools are another significant consideration when multi-tabling. There are ‘heads-up-display’ tools which give you statistics on opponents play including how many hands they play (as a percentage), how aggressively they play and how often they fold after starting a hand. While these are great for cash games where the blinds stay the same this info can be a little misleading for SNGs. A player might fold every hand early and push every hand at the bubble, the stats can show them playing 9
50% of hands (for example). Now, if you make an early game judgment in a future game based on this stat, you are in for a nasty surprise when they turn up with a premium holding! A hugely useful tool for SNG players is something which tells you about the success (or otherwise) of your opponents in previous games, how many SNGs they have played, and their ability score relative to other players. Someone who has won over 1000’s of games is likely to have a good grasp of the bubble math compared with a losing beginner after just 20 games. I personally recommend Tournament Shark from the acclaimed Pro Poker Labs.
Tournament Shark is approved by the major poker sites, and attaches an add-on to the bottom of each SNG. You then see the win / loss statistics and ability of each player, red for the losers and green for the winners. This gives you a huge boost in working out ranges for the bubble, and making those ‘good calls’ will make you a lot of money when you start the grind. There is a 3-day free trial to check this tool out and you can even pay monthly to spread the cost if you choose to continue – trust me here, this tool is gold! Check out Tournament Shark Now and start your free trial! Multi-Tabling And Mental Freshness: I already covered distractions in part #1 of the Blueprint. If you are remotely serious about a longterm income from the poker tables you not only have to ensure that you are free from distractions, you also need to ensure that you are mentally fresh. Short sessions with regular breaks are ideal - I personally like 2 hour sessions with at least 20 minutes away from the computer in between. Ensuring you play when you are awake and focused will make a big difference. If you are stressed, tired or unwell then my recommendation is to avoid logging on all together! This is a SNG course rather than a health and fitness book – however regular exercise and a good diet does wonders for your brain as well as your body… will simply recommend these and then leave it up to individual course members to decide!
10
Chapter #6 - Best Time Of Day To Play? Getting the most profits from the tables involves balancing the maximum number of tables with the minimum amount of winning opponents. This chapter addresses the best times to play for those of you fortunate enough to have a choice. Many of us have work or college commitments during the day which restricts play to evenings and weekends. I’ll base times on GMT and Eastern Time as these are two ‘standards’ which should be known to most readers – counting with a 5 hour difference between them. 07:00 – 12:00 GMT (02:00-09:00 ET). You will have the late night grinders from the US continent, but relatively few games running. I always see these ‘dead shift’ games as soft on poker sites with a global reach – however you might need to play at more than one site to have the volume of games you’d like. 12:00 to 17:00 GMT (09:00 to 14:00 ET): Not the best time of day for grinding, you’ll have some pros waking up in the Americas, and the EU students / pro grinders will be up and beginning their sessions. At this time you see an increased volume of games, but will need to be more selective in the tables you choose – avoid those with more than 3 known pros. 17:00 – 19:00 GMT (14:00 to 16:00 ET): The ‘home from work’ crowd in Europe, more volume and proportionally fewer grinders. US / Canadian grinders are now coming online to balance a little, though you should find the games profitable during these hours. 19:00 to 23:00 GMT (16:00 to 20:00 ET): Peak grinding time! Sure, there will be a lot of part-time grinders online, but these are very profitable hours simply because the EU recreational players are starting to be combined with the American ‘home from work’ types. Get as many games in as possible! 23:00 to 02:00 GMT (20:00 to 23:00 ET). Again this is a profitable period, separated it from the entry above as this is peak recreational time on the American continents, and combined with the ‘back from the bars’ in Europe. You will see some crazy things at the tables during this shift. 02:00 to 07:00 GMT: (23:00 to 04:00 ET). Getting quieter, the late night Americas players still online, though this will include a lot of student grinder types who do not have to get up in the mornings! Games less juicy and volumes declining, still better than the ‘dead shift’ though. This is a rough overview for weekdays; we should make a special mention for Friday nights! After a tough week in the office, Fridays are when people like to let off a little steam – and lose some
11
money at the tables. You will find the recreational peaks very juicy indeed, and the ‘home from the bars’ crazier than usual. Saturdays can be quiet during the day especially, while Sundays are the busiest of all, with many players from all around the world straying to the poker tables on those lazy Sunday afternoons! You might not be able to get as many games as you would like during some of the slower periods. In the next part of this guide we come up with an innovative solution, that 3 fishy sites is far more profitable than one tough one… along with a bunch of tips and strategies which will turbo charge your path to a fat poker bankroll of course!!
12
Chapter #7 – Strategy Adjustments, Recapping From Parts 1 and 2 There has been a lot of practical advice in this part of the course so far – so we will return to strategy for this chapter. Multi-tabling requires several adjustments, a focus on getting to the bubble with as many chips as possible requires adjustments, assessing whether to push or fold requires a little off tables practice and all of these areas require discipline! Below is a recap of the key strategy adjustments, my recommendation is that you read through them and make sure that there are no areas you are inadvertently missing out from your overall approach. Multi-Tabling In The Early Stages Of SNGs Our key adjustment is to fold any and all easily dominated hands in early position when first to act and later position when someone has entered the pot. Even those which you might use to steal with when playing just 1 or 2 tables! When the blinds are small the chips risked are rarely worth the reward, and you often not know where you stand after an inexperienced opponent calls your pre-flop and flop bets with two random suited cards! Folding almost every hand when there is a raise ahead should become automatic, ace-jack in late position should be a routine fold to an early position raise and a call from mid-position. In fact the only hands you should consider calling with here are those with high implied-odds value, small pairs, suited aces and suited connectors can be played (especially from position) when you have a chance to stack your opponents those times you do hit the flop. Instead of risking chips with marginal hands, stay tight when multi-tabling – use any time you do have to spot which opponents understand concepts such as bet-sizing, position and hand domination. Make notes of who is tight and who is crazy, and consider how this might affect their hand ranges at the bubble. Multi-Tabling In The Middle Stages Of SNGs A recap of mid-game strategy with 6+ tables running is all about upping the aggression when nobody has shown strength and staying ultra-tight as soon as someone makes a move at the pot. You should be stealing blinds from position and taking advantage of weak opponents limping by making well timed re-steals. In the middle stages of SNGs it is extremely rare that you will call a raise, the implied odds will not be there often and the stack sizes will be difficult – for example calling the flop continuation bet of an opponent may easily commit you (or your opponent) to the pot due to huge pot-odds available on
13
later streets. Avoid getting yourself into difficult mid-game situations by adopting a largely ‘raise, reraise or fold’ approach, and steal from weak opponents every time the opportunity arises!! Multi-Tabling At The Bubble Of SNGs Bubbles are where your big profit comes from and there are two crucial aspects to recap on here. Firstly, the math of bubble play is key – if you spend the time to look at different situations between sessions you will have a huge edge over the field. Secondly, accurate push-fold poker involves putting your opponents on reasonable ‘ranges’. This comes naturally with experience, however some of the ‘rules of thumb’ above about knowing who understands the dynamics and who does not are crucial. When multi-tabling I also recommend getting in the habit of quickly scanning the stack sizes of all players before you play each hand. There will often be all-in confrontations you are not involved in, creating a micro-stack (for example). Stack sizes change your play dramatically, so get in the habit of scanning them!
14
Chapter #8 – Bringing It All Together! By now you know several valuable pieces of information. You know that adding more tables will decrease your profit per game, while at the same time boosting your hourly rates dramatically. You know that the bubble is key – and simply getting there with enough chips to make opponents fold will make you money! You know how to spot players who understand prize pool equity models and those who do not, and (importantly) how to adjust push / fold poker when facing each type. On top of this you know have an overview of the practicalities of multi-tabling… from setups through to strategy adjustments. The next step is to log-on and make it happen. Start with 4 tables for a few sessions and then quickly move to 5 and then 6. Make sure you deliberately fold those easily dominated hands and keep asking yourself (out loud if necessary!) how you can make each decision easily and clearly. Make sure you can save details of tricky spots for later, and then go through them with SNG Wiz. My advice is to pause when you get to 6-tables at once. I want to go through some of the moves and more advanced strategy insights with you while you are comfortable with 6 tables. This is contained in Part #4 of the course, which (as usual!) will be with you 1 week after receiving this part. Once you have had some time to implement these ideas 6-tabling we will move you up to 8 tables, something many of you would have considered impossible when you first started playing poker! Finally, many of you will have finished clearing your 100% bonus now and hopefully will have boosted your bankrolls to the $250 to $350 mark (depending on profits and variance in your results). Moving on up to the $10+$1 or $15+$1 games is still taking a ‘bankroll risk’ from a poker pro perspective. I would like those course members who feel comfortable doing this to take the step during this week. If you hit a bad run you can always return to the $5+50c / $6+50c level to rebuild, if you have the discipline then do not worry too much about the pro-buy in rules, take that big step now! GL at the tables – Part #4 will be with you in a week – In the meantime do take the 3 day trial of Tournament Shark, it might just make a BIG difference to your profits!! Mark
15
