Maniac question
 

I have noticed this a lot more these days than I used to. I get in these NL tournaments, sit 'n go's mostly, and when it gets down to 3 or heads up, there always seems to be one player who is betting/raising/going all-in on almost every hand. They seem to be content to be knocked out every hand. However, when it is down to 3, you can't see a flop unless you are wanting to go all in basically. My question is, how does one effectively combat the ultra agressive style? I mean, I have to keep asking myself when I call a huge raise with KJ, and the flop comes out with nothing and he goes all in, I don't feel like risking my tournament hopes on K high. Thanks in advance for the advice.

Re: Maniac question
 

be that "one player"

Re: Maniac question
 

Just play that style. You can't combat it without stretching your own push/call ranges.

NOTE: Many here will giggle because they are the ones doing this to you.

Re: Maniac question
 

Ps. Short-handed aggression (or the lack of) was a personal leak of mine. 6 Months of reading replies from the maniacs [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] on this forum have turned distribution numbers like 20%-40%-40% into 50%-30%-20% = MONSTER improvements in ROI obviously.

Post some "short-handed, should I push this?" posts, or complete short-handed HH...I have no doubt these push-happy freaks will show you the light.....

Pss. There are some decent on topic threads in this link.

Re: Maniac question
 

Hi, my name is Karak567.

I am one of those maniacs you speak of.

You give me your chips all the time because you are scared of me.

Start playing like I do, you'll feel a lot better.

Re: Maniac question
 

Be more willing to call/reraise all in with K/x, Queen and 9 or higher. Its really a crapshoot with these players, against the super aggros I try to set traps with my ace hands, if they are the type that will push everytime you limp in with SB when heads up than limp and fold a few times. Than pop them hard when you get an ace or a king. I've personally tried playing like this and maybe it was because I was going through a rough patch of cards but I seemed to get alot more thirds and seconds. Lately I've slowed down my ITM game and I've seen better results, of course I could just be on a 2 week heater.

Re: Maniac question
 

As others have suggested, you want to be the guy doing this. When everyone's calling you an "idiot" and "moron", you know you're on the right track.

The reason for this will become obvious to you if you study the posts in this forum, especially those discussing "ICM" or Independent Chip Model. A really good recent example of a "maniac" pushing a lot can be found here. This is an example where, paradoxically, folding AQ against a guy you know is pushing just about any two is correct. If calling with AQo is a mistake, than pushing hard all the time as the big stack in these situations must be correct. It's all about chip position and the size of the blinds and far less about the cards you hold at this stage.

Once the blinds are 400/200 and up, it's not too far from being correct to raise everytime it's folded to you. The blinds are just too large as a % of everyone's stack and there are too many players, like you, who are afraid to gamble with hands like K7o. This makes the play that much more profitable.

The net effect of this, at least for me as I was once too tight to make these plays and calls against the aggressors, is more busts in 4th, but far more 1st place finishes. You either bust that guy who finally calls with AJ when your live 85o pairs (this is where you'll get called "idiot") or gobble up tons of blinds. It's a very effective, if seemingly mindless (though really not mindless at all) way of playing. And it's lots of fun being a maniac!

As far as defending against this, yeah, you have to call with K high, sometimes Q high. But it really depends on chip position. As the example cited, calling with AQ can be incorrect, in other examples, calling with Q high is correct.

Re: Maniac question
 

If I am to play like the maniac, are we talking all ins when folded to you, or a certain raise (like 5 times the big blind for instance).

Re: Maniac question
 

[ QUOTE ]
If I am to play like the maniac, are we talking all ins when folded to you, or a certain raise (like 5 times the big blind for instance).

[/ QUOTE ]

At the maniacal point of the game, 3-5xBB usually approaches 35%+ of your stack. So all-in it is.

Re: Maniac question
 

when he's in the hand wait till you get a good holding and trap by letting him raise into you

when he's not in the hand steal from the other tight players

more often than not he'll bust early playing like that