Straightforward way to layout Wordpress posts in columns. The example is using Bootstrap styles, but it easily adapts to HTML tables, or any other markup.

Wordpress Columnize Posts PHP

/**
 * utility to check if more posts available in the loop, avoiding side-effects
 * mentioned in the "Note" on this page: http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/have_posts
 * if more are available, it will advance the internal counter by calling the_post()
 * -- this function goes in functions.php or (RootsTheme: lib/custom.php)
 */
if( !function_exists('more_posts') ){
  function more_posts() {
    global $wp_query;
    $hasPostsLeft = $wp_query->current_post + 1 < $wp_query->post_count;
    if( $hasPostsLeft ){
      the_post();
      return true;
    }
    return false;
  }
}


// This snippet goes into your WordPress template file
// to do more than two columns, repeat the code for column 2.
// will always properly close the rows. Easily adapted to using HTML tables or other
// formatting
<?php while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>

  <div class="row">
    <div class="col-md-6">
      <?php get_template_part('templates/content', get_post_format()); ?>
    </div>
    <div class="col-md-6">
      <?php if( more_posts() ):
        get_template_part('templates/content', get_post_format());
        endif;
       ?>
    </div>
  </div><!-- .row -->

<?php endwhile; ?>