Table image and maniacs

[Buckmulligan]

People always talk about bluffing very little or not at all against maniacs, a good point, but I have learned that this mentality earns money through your image, not your non commital attitude to most pots.
I say this because I have learned that THE WORST thing you can do in a loose aggressive game is be caught bluffing at any time... Remember, these maniacs like to be sherriff; if you get caught bluffing once, it's justification for them not to respect your bets and raises. In fact, it may even encourage them to heroically climb over the top.
Yes, I think that one of the most important strategies at a loose aggressive lo limit table is to appear as tight as possiblel It's the image that let's you take down smaller pots, not the style of play.
any comments?

[Al_Capone_Junior]

[ QUOTE ]
THE WORST thing you can do in a loose aggressive game is be caught bluffing at any time... Remember, these maniacs like to be sherriff; if you get caught bluffing once, it's justification for them not to respect your bets and raises. In fact, it may even encourage them to heroically climb over the top.


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree here. You need to show down hands when you make it to the river in these games. There is no need at all for bluffing, not only can you be hurt via image (as you are arguing here) but you are also so very unlikely to succeed there is no point in trying.

al

[Kripke]

Well, I agree that when sitting at a table with a maniac, you want to play tight, perhaps even very tight. However, I disagree that it is important to have a tight table image. In some sense, I'm not convinced that it is a bad idea to be caught bluffing once or twice. But that's because in general, at table with one or more maniacs, you do not want to be bluffing at all. You want to play solid hands and lay down the best hand at the end. If a maniac doesn't show any respect to your preflop raises (maybe because he caught you bluffing once or twice) you should be happy. Of course, it always hurts to be drawn out by an absolute maniac, but you simply have to play the odds. You want to wait for a legitimate hand, and then put the maniac in a situation where he has to defy the pot odds. On average days, the maniac will pay you off big time. On the bad days, you'll get drawn out.

I think that table image against maniacs means very little, because it seems to me that maniacs usually do not pay attention to your play at all.

However, in some sense, a tight table image will help. If for instance you get AK and raise preflop, then miss on the flop and bet out again - then you would like your opponents to fold. Yet, with a full blown maniac at the table, it is unlikely that he will fold whether you hit or not. So, I think it is far more a question of adjusting your play - especially preflop to the opponents at the table.

This was written pretty hastily, so forgive me for any spelling errors and so on.

I would very much like to hear other opinions.

- Kripke