3-way against a maniac

[PoBoy321]

The basic situation was, Party 10+1, it's down to 3 way and I have about a 2:1 chip lead over both of the other players. At this point, my stack is ~4000, the other 2 have ~2000 each, blinds are 200/400.

At this point, one player, we'll call him player A, goes nuts. All-in every hand. Calling raises with anything and pushing any flop. Finally, I pick up AK out of the blinds (I still had about a 2:1 chip lead over the maniac), open push out of the blinds and the maniac in the BB calls me with 73o, turns a 3, he now has a 2:1 chip lead over me and long story short, I bust out 3rd when i thought it should have been an easy $50.

Now my question is this. How are you supposed to play against this type of player? Not that I can really blame him because I often play like this when I'm in his shoes (although i usually pick a better spot than 73o to call an all-in), so what else can I do here? I have no fold equity and am guaranteed to have at least one all-in every hand. Should I just give up on skill, push my small edges and take the crapshoot when the blinds get this big?

Any suggestions?

EDIT: I just realized that this kind of sounds like a bad beat post, but I don't mean for it to. I'm genuinely curious how to play in these types of situations. With only 10BB left, I really don't have the wiggle room to pick my spots, so what kinds of hands should I be pushing here, what kinds of hands should I be calling pushes with.

[johnnybeef]

so you are having a problem when someone voluntarily calls a push with 73o? this is a situation in which you are getting way the best of it, you should be delighted. when you play in sngs you will get sucked out on...a lot. your goal as a player is to put your self in situations where you are getting way the best of it and not get upset about suckouts as this is something you can not control.

[PoBoy321]

Well no, my question wasn't so much about suckouts, because I don't mind that, my question was if there's any way that I can keep skill a part of the game, rather than, as I said, leave it up to chance.

[PoBoy321]

Oh, also another thing I forgot to mention, I'm new to STTs so this is something that I've questioned a lot. Say that I know I'm going to be called with a 2:1 advantage. However, with this 2:1 advantage I could be costing myself $30, because if I lose, I cripple myself and am almost guaranteed 3rd place. On the other hand, if I win, I can almost guarantee myself the $50. So how do I calculate the risk v. reward?

[Pepsquad]

[ QUOTE ]
Well no, my question wasn't so much about suckouts, because I don't mind that, my question was if there's any way that I can keep skill a part of the game, rather than, as I said, leave it up to chance.

[/ QUOTE ]

You DID keep skill a part of the game. You folded to a maniac until you picked up a great hand and then you got all the chips in (that's the skill part we're talking about).
What you're really asking is "How do I ELIMINATE any element of chance?" and I've read your posts enough to know you know better than to ask that question.

Well played. You couldn't have done anything different.

Pep.

[citanul]

it sounds like you played against this particular opponent just about perfectly. i don't see how you can think there would be a way to avoid having a significant amount of luck involved with trying to take him out... he's going to go all in, and to beat him, you're going to need to call his entire stack.

you played best hand win poker. you had the best hand. he won.

it happens. don't get your panties in a bunch, or something. there's absolutely different between this and losing if you decided to call one of his pushes with AK and were suddenly shown AA. poker happens.

citanul

[Pepsquad]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh, also another thing I forgot to mention, I'm new to STTs so this is something that I've questioned a lot. Say that I know I'm going to be called with a 2:1 advantage. However, with this 2:1 advantage I could be costing myself $30, because if I lose, I cripple myself and am almost guaranteed 3rd place. On the other hand, if I win, I can almost guarantee myself the $50. So how do I calculate the risk v. reward?

[/ QUOTE ]

You're thinking about it all wrong PoBoy. It is impossible to "cost yourself" $30 by taking a 2:1 advantage. Might you cost yourself $30 in this tourney? Yeah. Big deal, click on another SNG and go about your business. It's all about the long-run baby.

[PoBoy321]

Point taken about the long run. I'm generally a cash game player, so if I catch a bad beat, I reload, stack the guy 2 hands later and problem solved. I'm still getting used to the "when it's over, it's over" mentality of STTs ('cause you never get that feeling of vindication, although maybe that's a post for the psych forum).

But still, going back to one of my original questions, what hands should I have been calling and/or pushing here? I feel that I got really lucky to pick up AK in this instance, but I feel like I had been folding hands that I should have been calling with (Kx, Qx, JT, etc.), so what would you suggest should be the starting hand requirements in these situations?

[Pepsquad]

[ QUOTE ]
Point taken about the long run. I'm generally a cash game player, so if I catch a bad beat, I reload, stack the guy 2 hands later and problem solved. I'm still getting used to the "when it's over, it's over" mentality of STTs ('cause you never get that feeling of vindication, although maybe that's a post for the psych forum).

But still, going back to one of my original questions, what hands should I have been calling and/or pushing here? I feel that I got really lucky to pick up AK in this instance, but I feel like I had been folding hands that I should have been calling with (Kx, Qx, JT, etc.), so what would you suggest should be the starting hand requirements in these situations?

[/ QUOTE ]

I hear ya. Ironicly, as easy a call as AK is, in the situation you described I would be folding all but my strongest of hands (JJ+, AK, AQ). The reason is that you just don't need to get involved. With crazy guy and #3 guy both around t2,000, the pressure is really on #3 guy...not you. If crazy guy keeps pushing any two, my guess is that at some point, #3 guy will look down at an ace and auto-call, guaranteeing you 2nd place one way or the other.

[J-Lo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Point taken about the long run. I'm generally a cash game player, so if I catch a bad beat, I reload, stack the guy 2 hands later and problem solved. I'm still getting used to the "when it's over, it's over" mentality of STTs ('cause you never get that feeling of vindication, although maybe that's a post for the psych forum).

But still, going back to one of my original questions, what hands should I have been calling and/or pushing here? I feel that I got really lucky to pick up AK in this instance, but I feel like I had been folding hands that I should have been calling with (Kx, Qx, JT, etc.), so what would you suggest should be the starting hand requirements in these situations?

[/ QUOTE ]

I hear ya. Ironicly, as easy a call as AK is, in the situation you described I would be folding all but my strongest of hands (JJ+, AK, AQ). The reason is that you just don't need to get involved. With crazy guy and #3 guy both around t2,000, the pressure is really on #3 guy...not you. If crazy guy keeps pushing any two, my guess is that at some point, #3 guy will look down at an ace and auto-call, guaranteeing you 2nd place one way or the other.

[/ QUOTE ]

guarantee second place? That is a terrible outcome when u have 2:1 chiplead with 3 left... winning is much more profitable than taking 2nd... Gamble for 1st settle for 3rd

[EarlCat]

[ QUOTE ]
it happens. don't get your panties in a bunch, or something. there's absolutely different between this and losing if you decided to call one of his pushes with AK and were suddenly shown AA. poker happens.

[/ QUOTE ]

Tell me about it... I was (barely) top stack last night in literally the tightest sng i've even been in (150 blinds w/ 7 players still in, only 1 with less than 5 BB). I double up the same guy twice in a row. He cracks my QQ with A4os catching a straight, then cracks my KK with ATos catching a 4-flush. What can you do?