Originally Posted by Ltrain

Hand 1- ok to fold, marginal call. If you call, hit a J,9, or draw, let him bet it down with a pair, checkraise a hit draw, laugh when he bets away his chips or he 3 bets your hit straight or flush with crap.

Hand 2- Fold preflop. Don't go to war with K,10o or other offsuit broadway against a maniac that has position on you.

Hand 3- nice board for Ace high. Raise to drive out SB, call down. If SB calls and maniac re-raises, fold.

I like Maniacs on my right so I can isolate them at any point I choose. When they are behind you, they are much tougher to play. Instead, use them to drive out other players and then call them down (ex. you hit MPGK on flop. bet, villian raises to drive out others including possibly a TP hand, and then you call down. If someone calls the two cold, you are either beaten or against a draw).

Originally Posted by elipsesjeff

I disagree with all three of the way you played your hands.

Hand 1: You shouldnt be calling UTG raises with anything from the SB, no matter who your opponent is, especially since its a kill pot.

Hand 2: Continuation limping isnt that horrible, I'd much rather raise to isolate. If maniac 3 bets then let him do the betting and knock everyone else out.

Hand 3: Facing a bet and a raise, you do not have odds to call and a 3bet here would just be spewing. You've invested very little in this pot and you should just give it up.

Originally Posted by pokerlearner

thanks for your analysis LTrain. How about changing my cold calling standards when villain blind raises or raises anything and everything and you are to his left ??
In my second post:
"Should my cold calling standard stay the same if i am to the left of such maniac. If maniac's range is so wide and his raises mean nothing, then do my AJo, KJo, K-10s, QJs, Q-10s become callable (i dont call these cards to raises, and still wouldnt call QJo, K10o, Q-10o regardless of raising standards of the raiser). "

any thoughts on that ??

Originally Posted by pokerlearner

oh one very important question.
Is it better to
1) Try a seat change to have position on the villain so that i dont limp into raised bloatd pots (because once people get fed up of the villain they might start 3 betting and i might end up in a bloated pot with marginal offsuit cards by calling 1 extra raise each time and getting squeezed!!)

OR

2) Just stay to his immediate right so that when he bets I get full value of my sets, flush draws etc because now i can check raise an entire field on the turn

I have always read that you should get position on these maniacs but sometimes i like the option 2 better. Is my thinking flawed here somehow ?

Question 2: Should my cold calling standard stay the same if i am to the left of such maniac. If maniac's range is so wide and his raises mean nothing, then do my AJo, KJo, K-10s, QJs, Q-10s become callable (i dont call these cards to raises, and still wouldnt call QJo, K10o, Q-10o regardless of raising standards of the raiser).

Thanks for your opinion Jeff. Sometimes I feel stupid asking these elementary questions now that I am playing as high as 9-18 and should be second nature to me....I self doubt too much