My turn to isolate the maniac

[Jeffro]

Party 2-4
Maniac who has raised at least the last 5 hands and has shown some questionable holdings, raises UTG, folded to me in MP with KhJc I raise, BB calls, maniac calls.
Flop [ Ks, Th, Js ]
Maniac bets, I raise, BB folds, maniac raises, I cap.
Turn [ Ks, Th, Js ] [ 4h ]
Maniac bets, I raise, maniac raises, I call.
River [ Ks, Th, Js ] [ 4h ] [ Qc ]
Maniac bets, what next?

Results and thoughts to follow.

[Joe Tall]

Man, tough board. Question: when you say, 'has shown some questionable holdings', do you mean hands that are playable, yet he played them over aggressively preflop?

I find these 'maniac' types usually fall into 2 categories:

1. A complete, somebody please tie-him to his seat, loose-cannon, throw ice on him, maniac, as in: Any ace is worth a raise, any face card, any two suited (and I mean ANY such as Th4h), etc.

2. Or the over-aggressive newbie that raises any S&M Group 1-4 hand preflop in any position. They have either half-read or just have a list of hands and see that the hand is recommended as playable and loosely interpet 'playable' as raise preflop without understanding pot odds or position.

I must say that it's about 50/50 with such maniac findings.
I think you might have a let's say 'type 2' maniac and you'll have to lay this down, but calling here can't be all that bad, if you believe he's holding Kxs.

Hope it turned out for you. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Jeffro]

I hate that party doesn't show hole cards in there history, but he was more towards number 1.
Raised EP with A8o
Raised MP with a 9 and something lower than an 8
Reraised UTG+1 with 34s

[DaNoob]

Too much in the pot to fold and too many cards on the board to raise. I'd call and hold my breath.

FWIW, this always happens to me when I square off against the maniac at the table. I don't know if I choose my battles poorly, have terrible reads, or just plain bad luck, but I always get nailed.

According to everything I read, though, I'm gonna earn it all back from them in the long run [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img] .

[Nottom]

Call and hope to see KT. I think I would have slowed down on the turn after the BB is gone, even maniacs get good hands at times.

[Jeffro]

I just call, he shows K4o and I take it down.
Pre-Flop: I think this was routine.
Flop: Routine as well.
Turn: This is where my thinking starts to get clouded, any decent player I would have probably, just called the turn bet hoping to fill on the river. The three bet on the turn is where I start to believe well this time he has it, he had laid down sometimes on the turn after his fits of betting before, at this point I determined unless I fill I’m just calling down the hand. Is this wrong?? The 4 shouldn’t have changed a thing, think this was the only mistake.
River: Well this was not the card I wanted to see, I think even before I see the bet I slam my mouse down figuring if I wasn’t beat before I just got rivered again. I was so ready to fold and not pay him off but there was just too much in the pot

[Bob T.]

It is too easy for the maniac to hold either a 9 or an Ace. I call the river.