Stung by the maniac this time

[ragedyandy]

4/8. Maniac has been raising blind in UTG position about 60% of the time - each time he announces Raise Blind. He is in CO. This is my last hand. BB says to me, don't raise my big blind. I say back I promise that I won't raise unless I get a raising hand. I get KQo and raise. Folded to maniac who calls, button calls, blinds fold. Flop is 8h6d2d. I bet, maniac calls, button raises all in for 2 more dollars. We both call. Turn is Qs. I bet. Maniac raises. I re-raise. Maniac calls. Button says c'mon diamond. River is a blank. I bet. Maniac calls and shows 6c2s. I thought maniac would raise with a wide variety hands both including and excluding a Q. Wrong again /images/graemlins/confused.gif

Did I overplay this one?

Here's another one - different table, no maniac, just players that range from descent to terrible. I'll cut to the chase. 3 players on the turn which gives me a A high straight with one of my cards. 2 of a suit on board. I check, bet, call, I raise, re-raise, call, I re-raise, call, call. River pairs the board in Q's. Player doing the calling bets, we both call and are shown Q's full of J's.

I think I'll do the same thing next time, correct?

[AceHigh]

[ QUOTE ]
BB says to me, don't raise my big blind. I say back I promise that I won't raise unless I get a raising hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

You should tell him to fold if you raise.

[ QUOTE ]
I thought maniac would raise with a wide variety hands

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. It's impossible to read his hand. So call him down with anything reasonable and raise when you stumble into a monster. There is nothing better than seeing a maniac cap when you have the nuts and nothing worse than giving him excess action when you are drawing slim.

[ragedyandy]

Is your advice intended to be helpful?

I understand I made a FTOP error, but without perfect information, this is going to happen. At what point am I supposed to start fearing maniac? I was the pre-flop aggressor, I bet the flop, I re-raised the turn for value, not because I thought I was drawing thin. This is a big problem in my game, I call down with the best hand too frequently when I should be pounding forward. Dynasty even practically ripped me a new one when I wrote about calling down with pocket queens in a capped pot (Commerce maniac game). So how do I know when to punish and not be punished?

[AceHigh]

[ QUOTE ]
Is your advice intended to be helpful?

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course, sorry you find no value in it.

Maybe you should read the section in HEFAP for playing against a maniac.

[ QUOTE ]
So how do I know when to punish and not be punished?

[/ QUOTE ]

I dunno. That's why I wait until I stumble into a big hand to punish them.

[ QUOTE ]
Dynasty even practically ripped

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, he does that. Maybe he thought you were playing against reasonable opponents.

[MRBAA]

One thing about SOME maniacs is that they will bet or raise once with nothing or very little, but won't reraise, or bet into a raiser unless they actually have something. When you notice this pattern in a player, it's incredibly valuable, because you can actually fold when they do make a hand. Since you don't have that luxury most of the time against maniacs, I'd probably be leery of playing a hand like KQo in early position at all.