Dusty Schmidt Returns to Multi-tabling Action

In February of 2013, poker pro and former Supernova Elite Dusty 'Leatherass9' Schmidt wrote a lengthy two-part blog post in which he warned online poker players of the possible perils associated with multi-tabling.

Entitled "This is My Brain, This is My Brain on Poker," the article was highly informative and revealed in great detail how Schmidt believes that many years of multi-tabling for hours on end created "subtle changes" in his brain functions. While gaining an ability to "process information at ridiculous speeds," the downside was an apparent inability to communicate with others effectively when his brain became "stuck" on other thoughts.

Schmidt explained that he also suffered an onset of anxiety, which led him to seek professional help from mental health experts. After submitting to a number of interviews and tests, Schmidt discovered that he had "developed a pattern" in his brain that allowed for excessively high levels of functioning (playing poker). But after being immersed in that activity for some time and then attempting to process information on a more mundane level outside of playing poker, his thoughts and functioning were adversely affected.

Long-term research non-existent

The blog posts were met with both skepticism and awe on the part of players. Some were of the opinion that Schmidt's situation was perhaps an isolated case, while others seriously considered that Schmidt's doctors, who said that "the human brain simply does not have the capacity to put itself through 8+ hour days of mass multi-table online poker," may be right.

Schmidt rightly pointed out that the long-term effects of multi-tabling are unknown. As online poker has only been in existence for about a decade and a half, the jury is still out on what the lives and/or brain functioning of current multi-tablers may be like when they approach their golden years.

Still multi-tabling

About 21 months after disclosing how multi-tabling effected him, Schmidt is a sponsored pro at Americas Cardroom. In a blog post at that site published earlier this month, an interviewer asked Schmidt how many tables he typically plays at ACR.

"Most of the time I play 12 because that’s what I can get," Schmidt answered.

Although not going into detail about how many hours he puts in at those dozen tables everyday, Schmidt did say that he's "on pace for a million hands this year and feel good about my game."

While his blog posts back in 2013 warning of the dangers of multi-tabling received an "overwhelming" response that included "a dozen letters from mass multi-table grinders who claim they too have noticed a lot of problems with their brains since they began mass multi-tabling online poker," it's a bit perplexing to see that Schmidt is at it again, albeit perhaps at not the same pace that saw him reach Supernova Elite status in just eight months in 2007 at PokerStars.

What's the deal, Dusty?

When I first read the blog posts in 2013 in which Schmidt revealed personal information about himself that others would have perhaps kept to themselves, I was quite fascinated that a pro of his stature would do so, as well as with his findings. His warnings were intended for "a very small group of mass multi tabling online poker players (and those hoping to emulate them)," in which he urged those players "to ask themselves if online poker is impacting them in a negative way."

I suppose now it's time to ask Schmidt the same question. If the problem existed before, why, Dusty, do you continue playing a dozen tables simultaneously? Have your playing habits been modified so you don't experience the same negative effects from multi-tabling? I'm sure many multi-tablers would like to read a follow-up to your informative essays of 2013.