Paradise $20+2

[xtravistx]

I recently decided to move up to the $20+2 level after months at the $10+1 level. My first one went horribly with me finishing on the bubble after pushing all in with KK against a maniac's AA. It seemed compared the $10+1's weak/passive style of play, most of the players were hyper aggressive often boarding on maniacal (pushing all in with nads like 23 os, raising with 75, etc). I ran into 8 players like this in 3 tournaments. Has anyone else encountered more maniacs at the $20 level and what ways have you come up with for beating this tournaments? Thanks in advance for whatever input you can offer.

[steeser]

This doesn't specifically answer your question, but one thing I try to keep in mind is that even a maniac can get a good/great hand.

I need to tell myself this sometimes to avoid overplaying a marginal hand of my own.

[heyrocker]

I have also moved up to $20 + 2 on Paradise after a month or two at $10 + $1. I think you are seeing an anomoly. My experience across around 50 or 60 tables has been that early on they play very much like $10 + $1 tables. 2-3 maniacs get knocked out and then everyone else plays. However I HAVE noticed that after the maniacs get knocked out the guys at $20 + $2 play better. Not even necessarily BETTER, mostly they just get tighter, its not unusual to get to 50/100 or 150/300 and still have five or six people left. They also tend to be more aware of things like position and stack size. The vast majority of them still have very little idea how to play shorthanded when the blinds are high. I will also occasionally encounter tables where nobody is out going into round three or four, which I NEVER saw at $10 + $1.

Anyways, I think you just hit a run of wacky tables, and I wouldn't worry about it.

However in a separate question I'm about to move up to $30 + $3 after a truly amazing run at $20 + $2 (8 out of the last 10 moneyed - 6 firsts and 2 seconds) and I'm curious if anyone has any comments about what to expect there.

[cferejohn]

Of course, pushing all-in with KK against a mainiac...well against anyone really is almost never a mistake. Every once in a blue moon you run into AA. Oh well.

[Phishy McFish]

I don't think there is a major difference between 10, 20 and even 30 on Paradise.....50 you start to notice and at 100 there doesn't seem to be many maniacs ever (other than myself of course).