First experiences

Multiabling online is pretty standard: pretty much every pro does it. Live multitabling, however, is a lot less common for obvious reasons. I first tried it over ten years ago and didn’t like it much. I was chasing live ranking points at the time and decided to give myself two shots at the scoreboard. I quickly learned it was a miserable experience of sprinting between two tables missing hands on both, so I decided never to attempt such a thing again. I stuck to that even when I had a shot at the UK and Ireland Poker Tour leaderboard with a significant prize a couple of years later.

I found myself inadvertently multitabling at European Poker Tour Prague

Nevertheless, I found myself inadvertently multitabling at European Poker Tour Prague one year after I regged all the flipouts and won the first two. This meant overlapping final tables. Again, this was an experience not to be repeated, although my cause was helped when I got headsup in one and my opponent offered me more than first prize to chop (he really wanted the trophy and the winner’s photo: I didn’t really care much about the former and really didn’t want the hassle of the latter).

A long shot

When I played an online Day1 for Grand Prix Poker Tour (GPPT) Killarney I was aware of a potential clash with Day 3 of the live World Poker Tour (WPT) event there. But it seemed like such a long shot it wasn’t worth worrying about. I’d have to make Day 2 of the GPPT (which was playing to the money on Day 2) and Day 3 of WPT (which would be near to final table). Making the last 5% to 10% of the field of one tournament is tough enough: it didn’t seem very likely I’d do the double.

The online leg I played only got 19 runners, and I ended with 19 starting stacks. When I then made Day 3 of WPT I was under the impression I could try to multitable, but this was cleared up the following morning: I had to choose one or the other but couldn’t jump between the two. I was allowed to play the GPPT only on breaks from the WPT, meaning my stack in the GPPT would blind off in the meantime. Annoying to think I might have to relinquish a lot of equity in the GPPT (which at 19 starting stacks was worth over €2,000 ($2,098) at that time), but rules are rules so I just had to get on with it.

I had to acquire chips to stave off blinding out completely

I decided to concentrate on the WPT and put the GPPT from my mind until my work there was done, only worrying about the GPPT on breaks. The only minor strategic readjustment I had to make was taking closer spots in the WPT. For example, if I judged a spot to have an expectation of minus €500 ($524), I’d normally pass, but here I’d take it knowing that if I bust I got to realize my full 2k in GPPT equity. I’d also need to adopt a more gambley high variance approach in the GPPT as I had to acquire chips to stave off blinding out completely.

Gamble gamble

By the time I got to my GPPT stack (thanks to recent jackpot winner Marc McDonnell for finding it for me so I could get to it as quickly as possible), I’d blinded off about a quarter of it, down to just under 300k. I did some gorilla maths and figured I needed to get to at least half a million to have any chance of surviving to the next break. What’s the best way to double your stack in 20 minutes when everyone is playing cautiously? I could open shove every hand, but even if they all folded every time, that wouldn’t get me there. And obviously, if I got called I’d almost always be in wretched shape. So I decided to just play a lot of hands keeping the pots small and try to win a big one postflop.

I watched in horror as everyone folded to the blinds

With just over 2 minutes left on my WPT break, I had nudged my way back towards my starting stack, but I knew that still wasn’t enough. It was touch and go as to whether it was worth sticking around to play another hand and risk missing one in the WPT, particularly since I was under the gun, but I decided to stick around. I also decided to split my range between raises (anything reasonable) and limps (everything else). Folding wasn’t an option. As it happens I pick up tens and raised. I watched in horror as everyone folded to the blinds, and now I was sorry I didn’t limp.

Thankfully both blinds called. The flop comes T76 and they both checked. Top set, but how to get paid? Check. Turn is a 3, small blind checks, big blind bets, I call, small blind calls. River is a 3 and the small blind unexpectedly leads. Big blind calls, I shove, small blind tank calls. I can’t stack the chips fast enough to race back to the WPT.

A close call

Back on the WPT final table, I make a close call I wouldn’t have made if I didn’t have a stack of almost a million in the GPPT (about 5k in equity now) blinding off at about €25 ($26.23) per minute in equity. Larry Ryan has just been crippled, I open AQ, get shoved on by the second shortest stack, and after running the mental maths I decide I’m not quite getting the right price to call (his range has to be much tighter than normal with Larry so short) but it’s close enough that when I factor in my equity in the GPPT I think it becomes a call. He has a monster as expected but I get there against his Kings. Doubly unlucky on my opponent not just to get sucked out on, but also I wouldn’t have made the call if I wasn’t still in the GPPT.

I’m in a spot where I have to gamble or face the prospect of blinding out

I get back to that stack to find I’ve blinded off slightly more than the half a million I estimated. Once again I’m in a spot where I have to gamble or face the prospect of blinding out when I disappear off back to the WPT final table. My stack has been moved to a new table, but thanks to Ian Simpson finding it in advance for me, I get there just in time to defend my big blind. I make a loose and normally bad call with 44 versus an under-the-gun open, not so much set mining as set gambling. I am rewarded with a QT4 flop. After check calling the flop, my opponent decides to protect his overpair on the turn by shoving and I double. I win a few other small pots to nudge my stack up past the million mark before I have to go back to the WPT.

I bust that in fourth, reshoving KQ over a Richie Lawlor button raise and not getting there against AK. No time to feel sorry for myself, straight back to the GPPT to find I’ve blinded off another half a million or so.

Back to one tabling

I’d spun up a bit when I was moved to the feature table. I was a little apprehensive for once about exposing my game to a livestream audience as I was aware I was as tired as I ever have been at a poker table (and starving: with no breaks I hadn’t eaten since breakfast other than some fruit Ian kindly brought me). I ended up headsup in the GPPT against Peter Cahill. We wanted to chop but were told that too was against the rules. In the end, Peter came out on top to complete my longest-ever day of live poker.

Paul Marrow sent me a congratulatory message afterward. When I said I’d have preferred to win, he hit the nail on the head.

Cash is cash mate, after a week trophies only become clutter…”

I thought back to my longest day last week when I was back in Killarney for the Irish Poker Tour leg. No multitabling this time, but I did make my first big live final table this year, an experience I’ll write about in my next article for VegasSlotsOnline News.