Let's start with the ultimate question, why are many of us poker players multi-tabling? First of all it makes an exciting game even more exciting, and secondly for a winning player it can drastically increase his profits.

Here are some important things to look out for:

Equipment: Having the proper equipment goes a long way to becoming a successful multi-tabler. I never considered buying my 30 inch monitor as spending money, but instead as making money - and I have certainly never regretted that decision. Of course your screen does have to be quite that size, but there are a lot of big screens available at realistic prices these days.

Software: Choose a poker software that not only offers multi-tabling but also supports it. The new version of the Betfair Poker software, Betfair Poker Plus, is perfect for multi-tabling, as you can alter the detachable and resizable windows to suit you.

Seating Arrangements: Whenever I can choose my own seat at an online table, I either try to stick with the same seat on all my tables or arrange the windows according to where I was seated. So if I have the seat in the top right corner I will move that window to the top right corner of my screen. Knowing this saves me valuable split seconds during play.

Distractions: Sometimes I play only a couple of tables and watch a movie or chat at the same time, as many poker players like to do. But if I am multi-tabling heavily I ensure I switch off all possible distractions, and can strongly recommend you doing the same. The more you concentrate - the more you will win!

Style of Play: Your style of play is also important. A loose player that enters a lot of pots will be able to play less tables than a tight rock. Of course you shouldn't adjust your style of play to be able to multi-table, stick to your proven style of play and play as many tables as you feel comfortable with.

Comfort Zone: As I've indicated above, how many tables you can play is not a competition! Even if a player claims to play 10 tables at the same time, you don't have to. Always stay in your Comfort Zone!

Training: When I get asked how I manage to play up to 12 tables at the same time I like to compare myself with a juggler in the circus. While I have no idea how he can juggle 12 balls, I'm also sure he will not be able to 12-table at poker : I do know that one day he would have started with 2 or 3 balls, and then through practice and experience was able to increase his number of balls juggled. It's the same with multi-tabling - try slowly increasing the number of tables you play while always staying in your comfort zone.

Maths: So how many tables are right for you? The best way to find out is tracking your results. If you increase the number of tables your ROI will usually fall, as you will have a little less time to pay attention for what's happening on each table. But increasing the amount of table you play can still make financial sense. For example, in 2005 I discovered that while my best ROI was +12% when 3-tabling, I was better off 6-tabling at +8% ROI, and or better off 9-tabling at +6% ROI as my turnover increased disproportionate to the ROI. I also tried 12-tabling but found that it was suboptimal as from 10 tables upwards my ROI was too low.

Similar maths applies to cash games. Ideally, try and come to a conclusion by tracking your results over a significant amount of tables/playing hours and discover your ideal number of tables.

Enjoy the new software from Betfair and see you at the tables, Buzzer