I have the nuts against 2 maniacs

hemstock · #1 08-23-2005, 12:47 AM

Well maybe not the nuts but the 2nd best hand

Party Poker 0.50/1 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
4 folds, Hero raises, 1 fold, CO calls, 1 fold, SB 3-bets, BB calls, Hero caps, CO calls, SB calls, BB calls.

Flop: (16 SB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (4 players)
SB bets, BB raises, Hero 3-bets, CO folds, SB calls, BB calls.

Turn: (12.50 BB) K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets, SB calls, BB calls.

River: (15.50 BB) 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets, SB folds, BB calls.

Final Pot: 17.50 BB

Both of these guys were raising each other for fun. QJo vs 83o, all streets capped QJo wins unimproved. I wouldn't be suprised if they didn't have anything here. I just feel really bad about the flop 3 bet. How do I slowplay this? Check and let them do the betting for me? Wait till the turn for a raise? I really thought that they were gonna cap every street and when I saw them checking the turn I felt really stupid about my flop 3-bet.

thesharpie · #2 08-23-2005, 12:51 AM

I would just call the flop. Against just one I would raise and proceed to cap every street.

Paxosmotic · #3 08-23-2005, 12:54 AM

There's a board pair, bet double! [censored], not Stud.

You almost certainly have the best hand and your opponents are drawing to one out. A fine argument for slowplaying. However, these are maniacs, and 9 times out of 10 they're going to go to war with nothing. It's unfortunate they didn't this time, but you really have to keep the pedal down in this situation. It's times like these that I'm glad I mail my opponents a script. You did mail them the script for this hand, right?

Catt · #4 08-23-2005, 12:56 AM

Tough break. It happens.

You might consider CCing the flop depending on their view of you. You capped pre-flop, and if they think that you're reasonable and solid, a flop 3-bet tells them you have an A. Unless they have a 4, or another A, you're shutting them down.

Very often the best play against maniacs is to call down with all but the strongest hands; if you've been doing this aginst them foir several hands, then your flop 3-bet screams "big hand." If I had tangled with them before and called down a lot of marginal hands, I'd be more inclined to go passive here and mimic my passive call-down play to keep them going at each other with inferior hands. Even maniacs are observant sometimes. So while I am not advocating slowplaying simply because you have a nearly invlunerable monster, I am saying you should consider it depedning on what has happened in previous hands you've played with one or both of them before.

aK13 · #5 08-23-2005, 04:07 AM

If they go to war against each other, you should try to just let them do the betting for you.

#6 08-23-2005, 06:04 AM

This hand's made. I suppose you could wait until the turn to get your bets in, since there's no draws to kill. Slowplaying this hand is not a bad idea, but you still played fine.

Innocentius · #7 08-23-2005, 07:27 AM

Like many above, I also think this is a situation where you want to slowplay. Maniacs, in my experience, like being the aggressors. If these two have gone to war with each other before, they may hardly notice that you are even in the pot until you show more aggression. A coldcall on the flop might also look like a flush draw. Finally, in this situation, if you are wrong with your coldcall, you lose two small bets. If you are right, there is no telling how much you can gain.

davelin · #8 08-23-2005, 09:41 AM

Not huge deal either way, focus on more marginal situations.