Called a pre-flop all-in with AQo

[PoBoy321]

Clearing the InterPoker $90 for $90 bonus. .5/1 NLHE

This player was a complete maniac. I'd seen him move all-in pre-flop about 4 times and all-in with massive overbets about 3 times on the flop since I'd sat down.

I'm dealt A /images/graemlins/diamond.gifQ /images/graemlins/spade.gif on the button. One limper (the maniac UTG) and folded to me. I raise to $4. Blinds fold, maniac pushes.

I call.

[Caruso329]

Excellent story. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Then what happened?

[PoBoy321]

Well, I wasn't really meaning to tell a story. I was genuinely curious about what people's thoughts were on my call. The pot was still relatively small and the maniac's all-in was a huge overbet.

[TrailofTears]

Well, based on your read, I call as well. I see these types of players show down junk hands or just moderate hands all the time with this type of play. I play 50NL at Party, and I don't know where this game was, but I assume it's not too different. Given my experience, the tables I play, and your read, I call this.

[Caruso329]

I would also make the call too, though I have seen many fish make the maniac's play and be successful. They will push PF once and it will be folded to them. The next hand (if the gamble is in their favor) they will push PF again and someone with a marginal hand will call thinking he is on another steal while Maniac has caught QQ for example.

[PoBoy321]

True, the limp-push scared me a little bit, but given that every time he had done this it had been folded around, I at the very least wanted to see what kind of cards he would make this play with.

[kamelion44]

I think how he plays postflop is important as well. Obviously you haven't seen that much of his postflop play if he was just maniacally moving in PF, but if he did the same type of wild overbets on the flop, like when he hit middle pair or on wild bluffs, it might be more prudent to wait for a better spot before committing your whole stack. Such as, just call here, see the flop, if it comes Q72, and he has 87 and will go all-in when you raise him, then that's a better deal...

Having said that, if you have a bankroll together, and you don't mind rebuying, and you won't go on tilt if his 87 gets all-in with you preflop and beats you, then by all means gamble with him...you almost assuredly have an overlay with your read. AQo is definitely better than this maniac's usual hand.

[BradleyT]

I see maniacs do this with T4o, 95o, A7o, etc. all the time.

You're not going to bully them out of THEIR pot.....

[kurto]

I see this situation come up a lot on this board. I've had quite a bit of luck with these people. But you have to alter your play to theirs.

If someone limps in and you know they're likely to go all in to any raise... don't raise em unless you want to go all in. In this case, you indicated that he's already limped in. Why give him the opportunity to pop it? Limp in and then if you hit, play appropriately.

I was at a table where this guy every single hand would raise it 5x the big blind and, no matter what, bet the flop. What was amazing me was that he did it every time.. yet, people kept limping in front of him only to fold when he raised?!?! If you know he's going to raise it every time (or even nearly every time), don't limp in unless you'd call a raise with it. Most of the time when people called, they folded to his flop raise. The few hands that went to the end showed he was playing junk. (though he had a piece of the board so often won with things like bottom pair)

I simply tightened up and waited til I had a hand I would call a raise of 5x the bb against him. I limped with something like an A-J , hit TP... checked to him, he bet, I checkraised all-in, and took his stack.

You have to do the same with this guy. Don't give him the opportunity to re-reraise you until you have a premium hand. Let him overbet the flop and steal the small pots because you know when you hit, he'll give you so much more back.