Dealing with a complete maniac--hand for comment

[CinnamonWind]

The SB is an absolute maniac. Raised every single hand PF. He capped me on the turn earlier when I was holding a set of aces and he had 9-6os. He then proceeded to call me down on the river holding 9 high. So that having been said ...

Party Poker 3/6 Hold'em (9 handed)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with T/images/graemlins/club.gif, T/images/graemlins/heart.gif. CO posts a blind of $3.
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO (poster) calls, Button folds, SB calls, BB folds, UTG+1 calls.

Flop: (9 SB) A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, J/images/graemlins/club.gif, T/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">SB bets</font>, UTG+1 calls, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, CO folds, <font color="CC3333">SB 3-bets</font>, UTG+1 calls, <font color="CC3333">Hero caps</font>, SB calls, UTG+1 calls.

Turn: (10.50 BB) 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">SB bets</font>, UTG+1 folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, <font color="CC3333">SB 3-bets</font>, Hero calls.

River: (16.50 BB) K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">SB bets</font>, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 18.50 BB

Results to come later after comments. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Hermlord]

Looks OK to me. I think the flush draw can be ignored (he'll show you 68/images/graemlins/spade.gif for the flush once in a while and it will suck, but not nearly often enough for you to be scared of it), your biggest worry is obviously KQ but a maniac will be playing all sorts of other junk here, like almost any A, J10 or even a smaller pocket pair. I might be inclined to cap the turn, just call the river of course -- I hate those 4-to-a-straight boards where someone playing junk falls a$$-backwards into the (almost) nuts.

Even maniacs get cards, if you're beat I think KQ but you can't start playing scared.

[Ralph Wiggum]

If he's a absolute maniac, I'd cap the turn. I'd be tempted to raise the river. Although a maniac gets a hand once in awhile, they usually represent hands (sometimes unknowingly) with pure aggression. I'd say a huge majority of the time, you're good with your set.

[MisterKing]

Pre-flop: no brainer.

Flop: I'm not sure if this is one of those times where you want to wait to jack it on the turn or not -- the board is very coordinated, though every sign points to you being ahead at the moment. Lots of cards (any spade, any K or Q) can ruin your hand. You won't be able to price flush draws out, but your equity against them isn't so bad anyhow. I guess with the maniacal SB in there helping you, I agree with your decision to max out the betting on this street.

Turn: this is where it gets tricky. Seeing UTG+1 fold is a good sign, as it is now much less likely the flush is out there. If ATC are indeed good for multiple bets from SB, I think you need to continue to raise for value here. If he has J/images/graemlins/spade.gif-rag, a small pair with one /images/graemlins/spade.gif, your equity against him is much better than 50%. If he has 66, AT, AJ, JT, A6, J6, T6 you're also well ahead. Really KQ and two /images/graemlins/spade.gif's are the only hands you're worried about at this point. AA and JJ just don't seem likely given the PF action. To the extent this is even a viable exercise, a vast majority of the hands you can put him on will draw less than 50% equity against you, so its time to keep betting.

River: The K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif changes things. Any Q now beats you, but his spade (assuming its only one) now becomes worthless. His betting thus far is much more indicative of someone chasing spades with something on the side than someone chasing a gutshot straight. If you raise, you *will* end up losing 3 bets in those cases where you are behind. Raising gives you no folding equity, so it is only good if you think you'll be ahead more than 50% of the time here. Hard to say...

Instead, if you call, you're guaranteed to see a showdown for a monster pot, and can lose at most one bet. I prefer this option. The additional one bet won when raising isn't enough to justify the marginal risk of three lost. Good play here.

[CinnamonWind]

Results in white below.

<font color="white">
Crazy shows [ 7s, Ad ] a pair of aces.
Hero shows [ Tc, Th ] three of a kind, tens.
Hero wins $108 from the main pot with three of a kind, tens.</font>

[smoore]

I think he made two pair and thinks it's good.

edit: heh, cute.

[Mike]

Can't comment on previous rounds but it looks semi normal to me for a flop like this. Two players raising to protect their hands (Your set and a second pair I am guessing), and one player raising to build the pot for a draw?

Have to look at results now...

[Victor]

Cap the turn. You are ahead a lot of the time here and when you arent you still have a redraw. You cant put maniac on AA or JJ so you are not drawing dead. Maniac will have 2pair here a ton of the time.

[shabamgoddam]

I agree. I would have capped the turn at least. With the K on the river giving 4 to a str8 onboard, I can understand just calling his river bet. The /images/graemlins/spade.gif on the turn wouldn't worry me as much as him playing some Q7o junk and catching his str8 on the river.

[Redeye]

[ QUOTE ]
Flop: I'm not sure if this is one of those times where you want to wait to jack it on the turn or not -- the board is very coordinated, though every sign points to you being ahead at the moment. Lots of cards (any spade, any K or Q) can ruin your hand. You won't be able to price flush draws out, but your equity against them isn't so bad anyhow. I guess with the maniacal SB in there helping you, I agree with your decision to max out the betting on this street.


[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think you should be waiting for the turn here. With 4 players this is an easy value raise and even after CO folds, heros cap still is for value since your equity is going to typically be well over 33%. With 4 players, if one of them showed you KQ, your equity is still large enough to raise for value.