What do you do??

golferbrent · #1 01-27-2005, 02:17 AM

15/30 Last night in my home casino...

I am seated in the 4 seat and to my right are 3 rocks... the game is absolutely great... 3 rocks... who you can easily exploit and 3 passives... and the ever present... dealer who thinks he can play... but actually plays like a complete maniac in the 9 seat...

I have been in the game for 2.5 hours and am up just over 1000... seat opens to my left and now the maniac moves to my immediate left... and before realizing how bad this is for me... new player is in the nine seat...

Maniac proceeds to straddle my big blind twice and also raises about every third hand... totally making it a bad seat for me to be in...

Problem is most players are settled in and are not leaving anytime soon... should I rack up and leave or should I stay and get a seat change... or stay in my seat and grind it out?? Consider the likely hood of anyone leaving would be 1 hour away at best... if I knew someone might leave sooner would it be ok to stay... if longer... is it an absolute time to leave... In those instances... what would be the appropriate course of action??

na4bart · #2 01-27-2005, 02:29 AM

Stay. Obviously you can't play as many hands, but when you do you are in position to let the maniac bet your hand for you while putting other players between you and him when your hand is big or bet into him when you are somewhat weak so he will raise and limit the field for you. Stay.

NLSoldier · #3 01-27-2005, 02:44 AM

Definately stay. Having a maniac on your left can be a very profitable situation. Someone correct me if Im wrong but I believe its discussed in "Inside the poker mind"

LaGarde · #4 01-27-2005, 02:45 AM

Stuck between 3 ro...you know where I'm going with that.

Anyway, I think you have 2 options at this point.

1. Request a seat change and take a break for awhile. I think this is the best option for a number of reasons. If you estimate that it will take an hour for a seat to open up, that leaves you plenty of time for the bathroom, cigarette and evaluation routine we all do. Also in an hour the rocks might be able to push the maniac off the table with a good run of cards, this would put you in good position on three very confident players who may begin playing hands they wouldn't have played an hour earlier (hands they wouldn't know how to play post-flop and out of position against you).

2. IF you stay you have to rock up a bit. Loosening up only to defend your blinds and play monsters.

I would take a walk for awhile, but that is me.

If you believe you can beat the game with the maniac on your right then you should, if only because of the implied odds on any hands you catch.

golferbrent · #5 01-27-2005, 02:51 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Stuck between 3 ro...you know where I'm going with that.

Anyway, I think you have 2 options at this point.

1. Request a seat change and take a break for awhile. I think this is the best option for a number of reasons. If you estimate that it will take an hour for a seat to open up, that leaves you plenty of time for the bathroom, cigarette and evaluation routine we all do. Also in an hour the rocks might be able to push the maniac off the table with a good run of cards, this would put you in good position on three very confident players who may begin playing hands they wouldn't have played an hour earlier (hands they wouldn't know how to play post-flop and out of position against you).

2. IF you stay you have to rock up a bit. Loosening up only to defend your blinds and play monsters.

I would take a walk for awhile, but that is me.

If you believe you can beat the game with the maniac on your right then you should, if only because of the implied odds on any hands you catch.

[/ QUOTE ]

I definitely think I can beat the game... The player pool in KC is very short and during the week only 1 15/30 games goes... and it is the highest limit available in the whole town... I think if I could get a seat to the left of maniac or anywhere but right things would be much better... How much of a problem is it if he straddles my big blind 1/2 the time?? That was biggest concern for me...

elysium · #6 01-27-2005, 10:00 AM

hi golfer

actually, having the maniac on your immediate left, while initially not great, can become a good position for you to be in, when the field stops allowing the isolation raises to get it heads-up.

in this game, that isn't happening apparently up to the present. but that can change, and if it does, being on the maniac's right will actually allow you a better handle on the total action by forcing the field to consider your presence in the hand when you have a drawing type hand, and allowing you to build a big pot by check-raising when you have a powerhouse and your betout would driveout, but the maniac's betout will be called in several spots.

initially, it's good to be on the maniac's left. when the field stops allowing the isolation raise, which is the only real advantage of being on his left, but a big one; when the isolation raise is no longer possible, it's better to be on his left. now that's usually.

in this game, it is clearly a disadvantage to be on his left vs. being on his right. however, it is better to be in a game with a maniac no matter what position you are in, than not to have the maniac in the game. the fact that this is an ideal game to be in on the maniac's left doesn't mean that being on his right is an ev- situation. the maniac, no matter in what position, will enhance your over-all ev, unless you are more maniacal.

kowboy · #7 01-27-2005, 05:33 PM

Soldier, Im reading that book now and he does have essays on maniac defense but he prefers the maniac on his right and most of his essay involves this. You have to tighten up if hes on your left because you cant get away with a limp for fear of the reraise and a bunch of callers. If hes on your right you can pop it to isolate him, if the table cooperates. [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]