i suck against maniacs

i confess....my major weakness!

seems like every time i fold they have 7 high
and every time i bet with ace high they have a pair of 5s

very annoying....

Sounds like you need to spend more time in 6-max.

Here's the impossible game...!!!

Just got home from a live home 5 player SNG playing with my friends. HOW THE F*** do you beat a three maniac game with one newbie and yourself who is probably the most experienced when it comes to odds and the like.

I can't seem to figure it out so far it seems like it is most luck that plays the game and of course many times two of the maniacs ends HU because they bought so god damn many pots.

If anyone inhere can solve this game and tell me how to play.? For two times I've played thigt aggressive and it certainly doesn't help. Next time I will play only for the fun and go MANIAC heh

So you are not the only one lagging the ability to break down a couple of maniacs

maniacs are predictable. they universally bet-ram any pair to the river, including bottom pairs and especially pocket pairs like 55. they bet all their draws. as long as you have top pair, you can raise or check-raise them to the river. always check-call them down with second pair.

maniacs never checkraise so if they check, you can assume the coast is clear and bet your good hands.

don't waste chips on starting hands like KT or A4s. wait for a monster, pray for a good flop, then trap those maniacs with checkraises up the wazoo.

ChezJ

Sort of like my AK hand, had a Taz and Maniac in the pot with me I drug in a 26bb pot at 0.5/1 with top pair only, that was a fun hand...

The definition of maniac and TAG are relative to each other and the game you are playing in.

In a 5 player SNG, many hands that are just long-term garbage in a 10 player ring game, and very profitable if you play well post-flop.

e.g. If a hand is going to be 3 way to see the flop, and the pot is un-raised, or raised by a 'maniac', KTo could be a very good hand. In a 10 player ring game KTo is gonna get you in trouble.

Originally Posted by StinkyBeaver

Here's the impossible game...!!!

Just got home from a live home 5 player SNG playing with my friends. HOW THE F*** do you beat a three maniac game with one newbie and yourself who is probably the most experienced when it comes to odds and the like.

I can't seem to figure it out so far it seems like it is most luck that plays the game and of course many times two of the maniacs ends HU because they bought so god damn many pots.

If anyone inhere can solve this game and tell me how to play.? For two times I've played thigt aggressive and it certainly doesn't help. Next time I will play only for the fun and go MANIAC heh

So you are not the only one lagging the ability to break down a couple of maniacs

In live games ..... The value of being able to read people should not be under-estimated. You have to play the player more.

I'm trying to read em and hopefully over time I will learn, but it is no easy job I tell you......

Yes I know that I have to play more hands, mostly I settle for any king or ace with some sort or of kicker I mean in unraised pot I'll play K8off. Of course i play many other hands but just to give you a clue.

I'll give you one example. I hold ATs and raised the pot for something like 5-6BB a little much but still. Flop comes 55q and the maniacs seems to love the hand. WTF to do now. I could have nailed them since they didn't have no nothing. Them bastards they showed their bluff to me

I did try to buy the pot by raising some 60-80% of the pot but got reraised with more than the double.

Next time i got in on an unraised pot with T8off flop is JJT and i bet only to get reraised again I call and here comes the ace. I make a good foold however i did torse a lot of chips inthere. ANyways this time the same maniac is holding J9S

Originally Posted by ChezJ

maniacs are predictable.
ChezJ

Say it isn't so, Chez......you didn't realy type that did you?? lol

Stop folding, try to play weak positions cheap and get used to paying them off.

When you hit a hand raise more than you normally would to isolate the maniac and take their money. Maniacs are my favourite player to have at my table.

Originally Posted by cassette

Maniacs are my favourite player to have at my table.

Me too ..... if you are hitting cards, they just build huge pots for you.

If you are missing however, they can be the root cause of a significant down-swings ..... your draws (including nut ones where you have plenty of pot equity) that miss can get very expensive with a maniac at the table.

Regardless, long term, if you play it right, you can make having a maniac at your table very EV +'ve.

I used to play on UB so I never really ran into these types of players until I hit the Party network. I've found from my limited experience that I can handle one if I can isolate him/her. If I get two or more and I get sandwiched I'm in trouble, unless I have the absolute nuts then have at er boys.

no maniacs at UB? surely you jest. i used to play there and ran into plenty, especially on weekends.

with regard to predictability, yes, maniacs are the one of the only types of players you can count on to fall for your checkraising trap when you flop top pair. with most other players it is more profitable to bet out your hand and not risk giving a free card. ain't no such thing as a free card with a maniac at the table.

ChezJ

i guess the universal cure would be:

"f*ck it...raise!"

Just curious, but a lot of these maniacs seem to always have huge stacks... Is anyone here at FTR a successful full-time maniac?

I love playing against maniacs as well, but getting their money takes some serious PATIENCE. And then there are those days when the muther fckers are catching every gd dmn card and you cant catch sht and every time you decide to make a stand you're up against a monster... I feel your pain megachi. Feel your pain...

I've been playing a lot of 3-6 and 5-10 with 3-5 players lately ...
My table image is problably of a maniac, expecially with 3 players on the table i will raise with q10off or higher, with middle pair ill close my eyes and raise everytime, even re.raise once if needed.
If this is good play or not, i really dont know, its profitable so far, but i dont have a big enough sample to make comclusions.
At higher limits 2 things happen :
1 - ppl that are used to lower limits dont play at their best becouse they are afraid, they fold to hyper-agression more then they should.
2 - They call with unimproved AK AQ etc till showdown, were you can profit with your paired 86 and the like.
Anyway, agression is working fine, or maybe im just lucky, i loose a considerable ammount of big pots, due to my constant re-raising with top pair and even middle pair, but the times i win huge pots becouse of that is paying off really well ... so far

Originally Posted by Thinker

I've been playing a lot of 3-6 and 5-10 with 3-5 players lately ...
My table image is problably of a maniac, expecially with 3 players on the table i will raise with q10off or higher, with middle pair ill close my eyes and raise everytime, even re.raise once if needed.
If this is good play or not, i really dont know, its profitable so far, but i dont have a big enough sample to make comclusions.
At higher limits 2 things happen :
1 - ppl that are used to lower limits dont play at their best becouse they are afraid, they fold to hyper-agression more then they should.
2 - They call with unimproved AK AQ etc till showdown, were you can profit with your paired 86 and the like.
Anyway, agression is working fine, or maybe im just lucky, i loose a considerable ammount of big pots, due to my constant re-raising with top pair and even middle pair, but the times i win huge pots becouse of that is paying off really well ... so far

What does this have to do with being a maniac? You are playing in extremely shorthanded games and you are supposed to be raising that much.

Hyper's talking about full ring game maniacs here. I tend to play more marginal hands against them like fnord said. Call down more with Ace high if you can get it heads up. Let him do all the betting for you and when you hit a hand check/raise him and make him pay.

Originally Posted by Thinker

I've been playing a lot of 3-6 and 5-10 with 3-5 players lately ...
My table image is problably of a maniac, expecially with 3 players on the table i will raise with q10off or higher, with middle pair ill close my eyes and raise everytime, even re.raise once if needed.
If this is good play or not, i really dont know, its profitable so far, but i dont have a big enough sample to make comclusions.
At higher limits 2 things happen :
1 - ppl that are used to lower limits dont play at their best becouse they are afraid, they fold to hyper-agression more then they should.
2 - They call with unimproved AK AQ etc till showdown, were you can profit with your paired 86 and the like.
Anyway, agression is working fine, or maybe im just lucky, i loose a considerable ammount of big pots, due to my constant re-raising with top pair and even middle pair, but the times i win huge pots becouse of that is paying off really well ... so far

Jeff is right, Thinker. You need to know that NOBODY is seeing you as a maniac based on the hands you are playing and raising with in short-handed games. With 3-5 players you are probably playing tight based on your examples.

A maniac will raise pre-flop with 97os (if he feels like it), and if you raise back, he'll cap it and come out betting post-flop. He might have the goods and he might not -- but he makes it expensive for opponents to find out.

I was just saying that becouse ppl actually complain a lot on the chat, about my raising I didnt actually think i was doing anything wrong, but its just the way some ppl see it i guess.
Anyway, about the "tight" thing, maybe i am, i usually dont raise with less then Q10, is it wrong ? Were should the raising start ?

Thanks

i love playing against maniacs .. i used to be one before i started reading multiple poker books and playing somewhat proper.


the trick is to jump in there and gamble with them.

call them down with two pair and up.

i made 100bb last night in under an hour to a maniac.

although he had a great strategy, he would play complete junk, show it down, lose alot of chips, until the entire table was convinced he was a complete fish, then he would tighten up and take down monster pot after monster pot with good cards.

Originally Posted by Element187

call them down with two pair and up.

is that calling them down with 2 pair, or calling them down with a pair of 2's?
cuz i raise the F outta 2 pair against any opponent.

Originally Posted by hypermegachi

Originally Posted by Element187

call them down with two pair and up.

is that calling them down with 2 pair, or calling them down with a pair of 2's?
cuz i raise the F outta 2 pair against any opponent.

two pair .. like

i say this because they often have middle pair or better.. i dont like getting in a raising war with only 2 pair.

Originally Posted by Element187

Originally Posted by hypermegachi

Originally Posted by Element187

call them down with two pair and up.

is that calling them down with 2 pair, or calling them down with a pair of 2's?
cuz i raise the F outta 2 pair against any opponent.

two pair .. like

i say this because they often have middle pair or better.. i dont like getting in a raising war with only 2 pair.

Why not? If a maniac has A-rag with an A onboard and is betting like a punk, you will make a lot of money.

Originally Posted by Element187

i say this because they often have middle pair or better.. i dont like getting in a raising war with only 2 pair.

I do!

I'm a Tagg, I raise the FUK out of two pair... you play WAY to passive if you call down with two pair in my opinion especially against a maniac, in your example I'm assuming that the board and your hand has match up for two pair and not the board showing two pair...

so you will cap on the flop and 4th street with only 2 pair ?


wow, i thought that was suicidal.

i play only 10 max, i'll get shown a much higher hand if i try that.

well against a maniac with 2 pair, i cap the flop. and i'm willing to take it to 3 bets on the turn + 1 bet on the river, or 2 bets each street.

call down with 2 pair lol, i dont even play limit but i'd cap that shit to the river.