Playing the Maniac

I was at Pechanga again - my favorite card club. I waited about 20 minutes until finally getting a seat at the $2/$4 table.

I sat down at seat 1. I hate seat 1 because I can't perform one of my favorite bluffs and that the big blind bluff. I'll tell you about it later but it's basically playing the big blind in the dark without looking at them. Basically, because the dealer is blocking you, the table can see that you haven't yet looked at your cards, plus I have to move my cards because if seat 2 or 3 mucks, their cards might hit main and my hand is dead.

So I sat down in seat 1 and the lady in seat 2 asked me if I was ready for a wild ride. I looked around at everyone's stack and said, "Let's see what happens."

After about two hand I realized what she meant, the guy sitting in seat 7 was a maniac, playing slow and complaining of a headache. Let me describe his maniac tendency. Preflop he was 80% raising, 10% limping and 10% folding. When anyone would raise him, he was always reraising. Believe me, he was raising with anything. Especially with 1 face card and any two cards above the value 2.

Let me talk about maniacs for a second. The key to beating the maniac is to play tight, value bet and don't allow his style of play to frustrate you. I have a great frustration story to tell you later. One thing you'll notice is that the maniac will win a lot pots, but they are small pots. They will lose a few, but when they lose they really lose. During my two hours of play, I saw this maniac drop about $200.

Tight play is the key. After about mucking 6 hands preflop, I'm dealt pocket aces under the gun. I'm first to act after the blinds and I limp in. There are about 4 callers and as I expect the maniac raises. Seat 9 calls and I reraise to $6 to isolate. Amazingly enough, no one folds and the maniac caps it to $8. I'm a little concerned. Because the bet is capped with 6 players in the hand.

The flop comes 8d-Ad-5c. Great flop. I made my set but there's a flush draw. So I'm hoping that the board pairs. Again I'm in early position, I check because I'm expecting the maniac to raise. Suprisingly, seat 6 bets $2. The maniac raises to $4. I decide to take a stand and I reraise to $6. This effectively causes everyone to fold but the three of us. Seat 6 calls the $6 and the mainiac caps the bet to $8, I call. Here's what I'm thinking. The maniac caught a piece of the flop. Maybe the 8 or 5. Seat six is on a flush draw. Now I'm really hoping that the board pairs.

The turn comes the 5d. This is the best card I could imagine. I just made my full house. Seat 6 just made his flush and the maniac will play no matter what. I, of course, check because I'm setting a trap. Seat 6 bets $4. The maniac raises to $8. I reraise to $12 and seat 6 caps it at $16. The maniac actually folds at this moment. When seat 6 capped the betting, I'm very concerned. Does he have pocket 5's? The only hand that can beat me. Crap. I won't even win the jackpot if he does.

The river is 6h. I doubt that he has pocket 5's, but I've invested enough in this hand. I check, seat 6 raises. I say, "there's only one hand that can beat me so I'm calling." Seat 6 flips over Kd-7d for the nut flush. I flip over my Aces full of five to win a monster pot. I'm about $70 up on just one hand. The table is amazed.

When playing a maniac, you'll win a large pot with monster hands. I crippled the maniac and in about 2 hands, he's off to get another hundred to continue playing.

10 hands later I'm in the big blind. I'm fully expecting the maniac to raise. He doesn't. It comes to me and I have Jh-8h. I call. There's 7 players in the hand. The flop comes 2h-8c-8s. Tip 8's and I'm thrilled. I want to trap again. I check. It's checked to the maniac, who bets. It comes to me and I call because I don't want to give away my hand until the turn when the bet doubles. Then seat 6 raises to $4. The maniac reraises to $6 and I decide to cap it at $8. We're down to 3 players again.

The turn is 2d. Full house again. I check, seat 6 bets to $4. Maniac raises $8. I reraise to $12. Seat 6 having learned his lesson earlier folds. Maniac caps it at $16. I know for certain this guy doesn't have pocket 2's. I know I'm in command.

The river is 7d. I won. How much am I going to get? I bet $4. The maniac raises to $8 and I reraise to $12. The maniac pauses the seat 8 says, "he just reraised you." The maniac says, "I know, good for him." He calls and I flip over the full house and he mucks. I'm now up $130. The problem the maniac had here was that I played a hand like J8 suited. If he was a normal player and raised preflop, I might have thought twice about mucking J8 suited. But because I was in the blind and his style of play, I'm playing J8 suited no matter if he raises or not.

I end the day about $60 ahead. I lost two hands to him. The first time, I had top pair with Kings, he caught a Jack on the turn to give him a set of Jacks. Fortunately I only lost the minimum. I don't like to be aggressive with top pair. When playing a maniac you know that he'll play with any two cards. This means that the value of top pair is reduced significantly, because he can hit two pair with any random board.

The second time I lost to him was with King high. I knew that he couldn't beat king high. He caught a 3 on the river to pair up. At this point I tightened up, I and walked away a winner.

The lesson today, don't be intimidated or frustrated by a maniac. I've played against maniacs many times and I have ALWAYS seen them lose at the end of the session.