Preflop play with a maniac a few seats to my right

SlantNGo · #1 08-31-2005, 03:24 PM

3 seats to my right is a maniac who is 70/50 after about 40 hands. He will slow down and sometimes get out postflop when he misses, but I saw him raise & cap at every opportunity with a flopped top pair 7 kicker.

The entire table has loosened up and become more aggressive preflop as a result of this maniac. Most hands are now being played for either a raise or a 3-bet.

The maniac is MP2 here. MP3 is TA-A after about 25-30 hands, but I have no real read on him. I figure TT is doing quite well against a maniac and a possible isolator. Agree with the cap? What about the flop now? Knowing that it's probably gonna be raised behind me, I folded. That Ace is killing me way too often IMO.

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is Button with T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
2 folds, UTG+2 calls, 1 fold, MP2 raises, MP3 3-bets, 1 fold, Hero caps, 2 folds, UTG+2 folds, MP2 calls, MP3 calls.

Flop: (14.50 SB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players)
MP2 checks, MP3 bets, Hero ???

In this hand, the maniac is MP2 again. I'm really not sure how to proceed here, because 88 is doing very well against his range, but with the cold-caller in between, I'm unlikely to get this heads-up, maybe 3-way at best. Should I just be calling and playing this for set value? No read on CO.

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is Button with 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
UTG calls, 3 folds, MP2 raises, 1 fold, CO calls, Hero ???

tiltaholic · #2 08-31-2005, 03:29 PM

hand 1 i probably call the flop and pray the maniac just calls.
hand 2 i cold call.

droolie · #3 08-31-2005, 03:30 PM

Hand 1: I like the fold due to how expensive it will be to take this hand to showdown. You fold the best hand sometimes but I think you pay too much for the reverse implied odds when you are buried.

Hand 2: 3 bet is good. I want postflop fold equity not set value in an already raised pot. You can raise any A or K or even Q high flop and take it down.

jrz1972 · #4 08-31-2005, 03:35 PM

Hand 1: I fold. You're probably behind, and if not you probably will be by the time you get to showdown.

Hand 2: You've already got the maniac raiser and a coldcaller in the pot. UTG will probably come along no matter what you do, so you're not getting this short-handed. You might as well coldcall and hope the blinds come along.

tiltaholic · #5 08-31-2005, 03:38 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Hand 1: I like the fold due to how expensive it will be to take this hand to showdown. You fold the best hand sometimes but I think you pay too much for the reverse implied odds when you are buried.

Hand 2: 3 bet is good. I want postflop fold equity not set value in an already raised pot. You can raise any A or K or even Q high flop and take it down.

[/ QUOTE ]

ok, way to contradict my entire post.

so, i suck at folding TT here, but i can see it. some maniacs love to checkraise, some won't. i guess it depends which flavor maniac he is. eh, but i suppose if he's not a crazy maniac i won't make enough bets to justify trying to hit the set.

i can't see us gaining fold equity when fold equity vs. the maniac is determined by whether he misses the flop or not...if he will fold at all (unlikely)

#6 08-31-2005, 03:38 PM

Personally I am waiting for better spots. I want to have a more premium holding, or be able to play the maniac HU with hands like 1010 or 88. Cold call is probably ok in the 2nd case if you can anticipate several other callers. It's fine to get involved in these hands but it can be pretty expensive if you don't play them well postflop which is hard to do as you don't know if the other guy has a superstrong hand or he just leaning on you to get HU with the maniac. Just to keep my sanity I wouldn't be getting involved. Especially if I'm multi-tabling.

droolie · #7 08-31-2005, 03:44 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Hand 1: I like the fold due to how expensive it will be to take this hand to showdown. You fold the best hand sometimes but I think you pay too much for the reverse implied odds when you are buried.

Hand 2: 3 bet is good. I want postflop fold equity not set value in an already raised pot. You can raise any A or K or even Q high flop and take it down.

[/ QUOTE ]

I actually missed the UTG caller when I said 3-bet. I'm changing my advice to cold-call but I don't think 3-betting is wrong.

deception5 · #8 08-31-2005, 03:53 PM

Hand 1: Easy fold. Preflop was fine, but the ace kills your hand too often here and it's going to be expensive.

Hand 2: Calling and raising are both fine here. I would probably call and reevalute on the flop - this will give you a chance to see CO's flop reaction as well.

SlantNGo · #9 08-31-2005, 07:49 PM

Thanks for the comments guys... the key I was wondering about was the first hand. I folded the flop, and I was pretty sure that was correct, but I wasn't sure about capping preflop.

On the second hand, I 3-bet then immediately realized that I should have cold-called... however, I can't complain about the results [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is Button with 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
UTG calls, 3 folds, MP2 raises, 1 fold, CO calls, Hero 3-bets, 2 folds, UTG folds, MP2 caps, CO calls, Hero calls.

Flop: (14.50 SB) 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players)
MP2 bets, CO calls, Hero raises, MP2 3-bets, CO calls, Hero caps, MP2 calls, CO calls.

Turn: (13.25 BB) 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (3 players)
MP2 bets, CO calls, Hero raises, MP2 calls, CO 3-bets, Hero caps, MP2 calls, CO calls.

River: (25.25 BB) J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (3 players)
MP2 bets, CO calls, Hero raises, MP2 3-bets, CO calls, Hero caps, MP2 calls, CO calls.

Final Pot: 37.25 BB

Results in white below: 
MP2 has Kd 7d (two pair, kings and threes).
CO has Th 9h (flush, king high).
Hero has 8d 8c (full house, eights full of threes).
Outcome: Hero wins 37.25 BB.

grjr · #10 08-31-2005, 07:56 PM

If that had been me the maniac would have had KK for the first time in his life. I hate maniacs. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]