10-16 tabling -- laptop or laptop plus monitor?

GTA Poker

As I slowly transition from live to online for the bulk of my poker income I have been adding more tables. What would be best for up to 16 tables?

I would prefer just to use a laptop, but would I require a second monitor to 16 table?

There are several 17" 1600x900 resolution laptops these days for under $800. Should I grab one of these or just use my 15" with an external monitor. If I need a monitor, what size/resolution will suffice?

moose

AFAIK the std video output on a laptop will only mirror exactly what is on your laptop.

Unlike a desktop which can have higher end video cards that have 2 outputs for running dual monitors.

My 17" laptops are both WUXGA running at 1920x1200 and most I do usually is 6 tables, though in a pinch I go to 8. If I am going to do more than that then I go to my desktop which has dual 20" running 1600x1200 where I can 9 table per screen.

BiiLLY

you could always cascade tables instead of tiling.

GTA Poker

Well, I can easily 6 table on my 15" (1366x768) but any more than that and it gets messy -- I guess my goal would be to get to 16 tabling, but to be able to 9-10 table on a laptop when I travel. Can anyone post a screenshot of 9-12 tables on a 17" laptop?

I use this setup when I 6 table on my 15" and it works fine for me:

ReefAquarium

moose;225142 wroteAFAIK the std video output on a laptop will only mirror exactly what is on your laptop.

You can make a connected monitor with a larger resolution than your laptop.
You can make the output part of a continuous display. with different things on the monitor.

Unlike a desktop which can have higher end video cards that have 2 outputs for running dual monitors.

For desktops that you plan to play poker on...
I like the video cards that can have 3 (or 6 outputs).

Any of the 5000 series ATI/AMD cards can do 3 monitors.

My 17" laptops are both WUXGA running at 1920x1200 and most I do usually is 6 tables, though in a pinch I go to 8. If I am going to do more than that then I go to my desktop which has dual 20" running 1600x1200 where I can 9 table per screen.

1920x1200 on a laptop sounds fabulous. What models do you have?

Last month I bought a 1920x1200 24" monitor for $209 at Tiger Direct.

moose

I've got a Dell Vosto 1710 and an Inspiron. I just paid the extra to upgrade the screen to WUXGA.

This is what it looks like with a std size table and squashed down so you could get 9-12 tables. I usually run 6 in the configuration GTA showed above.

TiMSuM

I cascade the tables when I'm doing 10-tables....all though they all overlap. Stars has a nice feature that the table comes to front when it's your turn, but if you're making a decision on another table, the next one is in line.

GTA Poker

moose;225153 wroteI've got a Dell Vosto 1710 and an Inspiron. I just paid the extra to upgrade the screen to WUXGA.

This is what it looks like with a std size table and squashed down so you could get 9-12 tables. I usually run 6 in the configuration GTA showed above.

Thanks Moose,

Is this with tables at minimum size?

moose

GTA Poker;225181 wroteThanks Moose,

Is this with tables at minimum size?

I don't know. I just scrunched them down until they fit 3 to a row. I don't play this way on my laptop. I spread the tables just as you showed. Put your taskbar on auto-hide and you will get a little extra space.

GTA Poker

Yeah,

I just 8 tabled with a similar setup to the 6 table above and it works perfectly. I think that is the max on this 15" though.

JimmyHo

what's the point of having all these tables running at once? you get that many dead hands with 5-6 tables at once? obviously you ain't clearing bonuses. More for Sngs I guess.

[deleted]

i just stack 18 tables on my 18" laptop.. works pretty well.

dont like tiling, stacking is much better.

ReefAquarium

I love having extra screen space, and the ergonomics is much better for my desktop.

I like to run extra software to track weak fish/tables.
I also record observed hands while I play.

I like having 2 or 3 screens open to give me gobs of screen area.
Table selection/fish finding takes up my spare space/brain cells.

I have holdem manager on the laptop, but I find I like to grind seriously on my desktop or not at all.

If I did play seriously on a laptop, I'd use a 1920*1200 Moose-laptop with a 24" 1920*1200 monitor.

onlinepoker

I play on a 28" desktop LCD monitor at 1980x1200. I can tile 12 tables at smallest size. What is cascading? Overlapping the table windows to fit more? I too like having a lot of screen space so that everything isn't cluttered and I don't strain my eyes.

Massive Wang, how do you find regular games live? Do you live near a casino?

BlondeFish

I use a 42" LCD TV (won in a site's live tournament) as the second monitor with my 17" laptop. Since I have bad eyesight and prefer bigger text and DPI, and since both screens don't have very high resolution, I can only tile a maximum of ten tables comfortably (4 on the laptop + 6 on the TV, with HUDs) before the text and numbers become too small.

If I will need to grind more than ten tables regularly, my next system will probably be more like ReefAquarium's - a desktop with two or three 24"+ computer monitors.

ReefAquarium;225223 wroteI like having 2 or 3 screens open to give me gobs of screen area.
:
If I did play seriously on a laptop, I'd use a 1920*1200 Moose-laptop with a 24" 1920*1200 monitor.