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Poker Plays with Pokerpeaker: Multi-tabling Can Cost You Value

June 25, 2009
Contributed by: PokerPeaker
Poker Plays with Pokerpeaker: Multi-tabling Can Cost You ValueThe argument for multi-tabling is that you'll earn so many more bets per hour. You can get more value for your time that way.

I'm beginning to wonder.

I've got $28 in a .10/.25 Pot-Limit Omaha game, and I've got 3 - Q - 3 - 7 in the small blind. We're nine-handed on PokerStars.

A player with almost $80 in front of him calls, the button calls and it's to me. I've got a trash hand, but I can't resist calling the .15 and seeing a flop. I honestly probably do that way too much, as I can't really hit anything here that would make me especially happy. Even a flopped flush could be trouble, and a set of 3s could definitely help me lose money.

Regardless, I call, and the Big Blind raps the table, and we're four-handed to a flop of 6 - 9 - 5. So we have a naked flush draw and that's about it, though I guess we've also got an inside straight draw.

The truth is, I see the hearts and that's about it because I've got three other tables going. I've got the Small Blind so I'm completely out of position, and I check, not really knowing what I'll do if someone bets. I may call, but the bet's gotta be small.

It's checked around. I barely notice.

The 4 hits the turn.

The buzzer calls me back, and I click on it and see I've made a flush. Well, a Queen-high flush isn't terrible, even in Omaha, so I bet .75, which is the pot.

The $80 stack raises me another .75 to $1.50. This makes me pause, as we are nine-handed, and the chances that my flush is beat isn't bad. So I call with plans to control the pot on the river.

A harmless 3 hits the river. I check my flush with plans to call any bet. He bets $2.50, a pretty good amount, but I call without hesitation.

He shows an Ace-high flush. Sigh. It's been that kind of month for me.

And the pot's pushed my way.

Do you see why? You probably do. You've probably been screaming at me this whole time to raise him! You probably saw that I've got a straight flush. You probably saw a chance to make a lot of money here.

I didn't see any of it, however, because I was multi-tabling and missed a hand that was a little difficult to see at a glance.

I wound up finishing $14 down for the session, or probably at least the amount of money I could have made on this hand alone had I been paying more attention.

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Some things go really well together, such as beer and baseball, ice cream and hot fudge, and casinos and suckers.Other things may not go quite as well together. Like "The Matrix" and its sequels.In poker, I'd argue that nothing goes better than Hold 'Em and Omaha.Perhaps 7 Card Stud and Razz could compete for Poker's Best Couple, but I still think Omaha and Hold 'Em wear the crowns. Why? Well, they really are the same game. You get hole cards, and there's a flop, turn and river, so the betting is almost exactly the same. Read more

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