playing a maniac

[paladin_zero]

This weekend I was playing a 3-6 holdem game at a pretty deceptive table. I figured to hold my own or lose a little, but learn something from these seasoned vets.

Enter the maniac. He sits to my right and is seeing every flop and then tight afterwards, so the rest of the table is slowing nibbling away at his stacks. He changes seats, and before long he has been on a huge rush.

Let me be specific about one hand and then ask a question. I am right of the button with Ks6s and call. The flop comes out 3sJsJh. UTG bets, maniac calls. I raised for multiple reasons: thinking to represent the J and take the pot now, induce a reraise from an early position J, perhaps get a free card on the turn. What happened is everone folded but the maniac calls. Turn has the board at 3sJsJhJc. Maniac checks, I bet, he raises. This was a very foolish move, I shouldnt have bluffed, but like I said, he tightens up after the flop. I call, somehow I know he doesnt have the Jd, this guy would have raised on the flop. River is the As. I have the best flush. He bets and I call. He flips over AdAc.

1) Was this reckless? I think I had been playing to long and my judgement was way off.

[Bob T.]

I think that when you get checkraised on the turn you can lay your hand down. You might be able to win if you spike a King on the river, but I don't think that the pot is big enough to draw to a three outer. I am pretty certain that when he checkraises the turn, that he has at least a full house. I would fold the turn.

[CrackerZack]

Fold on the turn. And I wouldnt' be in there with Kxs unless I was the button and 6 people limped. maybe more.

[Nottom]

From the turn on, you are basically on a pure bluff since your flush is gone as any sort of hand. I would lay down to the check-raise here if he indeed is tight after the flop because he now has a boat or maybe even that last jack. If he is a true maniac, then I suppose you can call him down and hope you hit your flush.

Also from you description, and certainly from how he played this hand he seems far from maniacal, since true maniacs are far from tight post-flop. Was he raising preflop all the time, or just seeing flops? He didn't raise his aces on this one and most maniacs would be happy to raise them up, because no one respects their raises anyway.

[paladin_zero]

Actually, when I called preflop, there were 5 bets in the pot. At this point in the game, my maniac had actually won at least half of the previous ten hands, I thought he was trying to push his luck. He did tighten up after the flop, but was still loose by my standards. Maybe maniac isnt the best name for him, but I saw him raise on the flop and turn over 83 offsuit (the turn and river made a straight), he was definitely trying to play his rush. If I was beaten, I wanted my raise on the flop to induce a reraise, so I could lay my hand down. I got my answer on the turn. I knew better, this was tilt, I know to watch for it now.

[Louie Landale]

"Maniacs" do not play tight after the flop. If he's playing tight and then calls a bet and a raise, and then check-raises the turn with trips on board ... Well, he may NOT have the case J but so what.

One of the reasons you raised the flop was hoping UTG with 3-jacks would 3-bet? If he's got 3-Jacks you can barely call.

Let me go out on a limb here: you wanted action and were perfectly willing to rationalize for it. I'd guess it was your discipline that was exhausted, not your judgement.

Now let me say something from considerable personal experience: if you think you've been playing too long then you have. Get up and go. That would probably have been the best EV decision you made all night; but you missed it.

- Louie

[lefty rosen]

Was this live or online, if it was live I would have read his body language,very few wildman players live, can hide tells. But yeah there wasn't much upside in calling down the tiltoid, you had to give it up.

[paladin_zero]

when he bet the river I took a long look at him. He stared at me and then winked. I thought he was trying to show strength, I think he was actually just feeling comfortable. Thanks everyone for the comments. I appreciate them.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Raising the flop was questionable. Inducing a reraise from an EP jack was the last thing you wanted to do. With a raggedy board like that, it's not likely anyone is bluffing, because there's not much they could have that is worth betting on the flop, so taking the pot right there is unlikely. Getting a free card on the turn, unlikely as well.

On the turn, your flush draw is worth jack squat.

On the river, your ill-fated attempt to win the pot shows you were tired and your judgement off.

al

[gunbuster]

As others said, doesn't sound like a maniac. If he really were a maniac, I'd want to sit to his left, and 3-bet behind him to get heads up. Let him do the betting, and call down with your better hands.

However, since you describe him as beeing loose pre-flop, but fairly tight after, you have to respect his check-raise and lay 'em down.