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$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 Ill 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!
One more thing, if you are not already enjoying the profitable games at Titan Poker, then make
sure you check them out soon. My 200% welcome bonus + $20 free cash offer with bonus code
SNGPLANET may not last for ever!! Ctrl + Click To Visit The Awesome Titan Poker Now!
Gl at the tables, Mark

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$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!
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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 multi-
tabler 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 Im 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.
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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.
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.
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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 $5s. 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 5
th
and then a 6
th
Im 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!
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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.
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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 Ill 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!
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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 opponents 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 Ill 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.
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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 pokers 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 re-
raise 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
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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 1000s 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 start your free trial now (Ctrl + Click)!
Multi-Tabling And Mental Freshness:
I already covered distractions in part #1 of the Blueprint. If you are remotely serious about a long-
term 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!
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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.
Ill 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
youd like.
12:00 to 17:00 GMT (09:00 to 14:00 ET): Not the best time of day for grinding, youll 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.
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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
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!!
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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
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opponent may easily commit you (or your opponent) to the pot due to huge pot-odds available on
later streets. Avoid getting yourself into difficult mid-game situations by adopting a largely raise, re-
raise 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!
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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

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