In the last two columns, we discussed some general characteristics of maniac games and some specific types of maniacs. Both of those columns are available at www.CardPlayer.com. Now, we'll look at two final topics:
• How to actually play in mania games
• What to do if the maniac is not where you want him to be
How to actually play in maniac games: This depends on several factors, but as a general rule, you need to play tighter than usual, for several reasons:
1. You can't win the blinds.
2. Every hand will be contested at least to the turn and generally the river.
3. The pots will be large, and most will go to showdown.
4. You do not need to win many of the large pots to show a good profit.
5. The entry price will be high.
I want to emphasize that last reason. It will cost you a lot to see any flop, since the maniac will raise pretty much all the time, and anyone with a premium hand will raise, as well. Thus, most pots will cost at least three bets before the flop, and many will be capped. The more it costs you to play, the better the hands you need to enter a pot.
This results in some pretty tight poker, with long waits between hands played, in part because you are playing tight, and in part because every hand takes a long time to play due to all of the betting and raising. You will be tempted to play weaker hands because they appear to be winning, and because waiting while it is raining money all around you really tries your patience. Try to conquer this temptation by understanding it.
An obvious drawback to playing only good hands is that the maniac knows more or less what you are playing, while you have no idea what he is playing. He potentially can bluff you off pots by representing that he has connected with a trash flop, knowing you do not have any of it. You can vary your play a bit if you wish, but my advice is to stay tight and just win the ones you are entitled to with powerful hands. Let starting from behind be the other guy's problem.
Other factors I mentioned in how to play when a maniac invades your game are:
1. The type of maniac you're facing.
2. How the rest of the table is reacting.
3. Your tolerance for volatility.
1. The type of maniac you're facing: As discussed in the last column, maniacs vary in degree and skill.
Predictable maniacs are among the easiest to play, as they are at least largely consistent. Of course, you can do virtually no hand-reading with this type of player, but you can exploit the fact that he will raise preflop, bet the flop, and generally raise on the flop, as well. Inasmuch as you will be playing tighter than usual, you can get in several value-raises against this character.
You can get even more leverage exploiting
situational maniacs if you understand their triggers. For example, if a certain player always raises the next pot when he loses on the river, and you are on his left, you can three-bet the next hand somewhat weakly, because the rest of the field (hopefully) does not realize that his standards have changed. This is one of the rare times that isolating a maniac has some chance of succeeding.
The
whimsical and expert maniacs are far more difficult, one because of unpredictability and the other because of his ability to play after the flop. Play tighter than usual, and trust the expert player more to make correct plays post-flop. Some of these plays may be weak, but all of them will have outs and some mathematical (or bluffing) basis.
2. How the rest of the table is reacting: Often, the maniac puts the rest of the table on some form of tilt. Rather than playing tighter, they loosen up their standards, calling and raising the maniac and each other with hands that they would not usually play. Their attitude seems to be, "If this guy is raising with J-2, I certainly should reraise with Q-5, as I probably have a better hand than he does." When this hysteria sets in, as it frequently does after a few orbits of constant preflop raises, isolation becomes impossible.
However, if enough of your opponents (five or more) start playing loosely and become immune to multiple preflop raises, you can begin to play small and medium pocket pairs and even weak suited aces from any position. Your goal is to flop a set or flush draw. You will be getting the right price to try to hit one, and great action when you succeed.
If your table remains timid enough for you to try isolation plays against the maniac, fine. This timidity rarely lasts long. Just remember to have a hand with some showdown value, as it is extremely annoying to isolate a maniac with a hand like Q-J suited, go a few bets on the flop, call the turn with your draw, and face a bet on the river with the choices of folding to what may be any two cards, calling with queen high, or bluff-raising with scant hope of success.
3. Your tolerance for volatility: Maniac games feature big swings. You will have to put in several bets to get to the river, and several players with strange hands will be trying to draw out.
You can add more volatility to this mix by getting involved in more pots with the maniac, sometimes raising and check-raising with draws and moderate values. Even if you have a deep bankroll and a strong tolerance of swings, remember to stay value-based. When you decide to mix it up with a maniac by playing J-8 or 6-4 for four bets, you have become a maniac yourself. We have established that the maniac is primarily playing for luck, and you give up whatever value and skill edge you have if you just start gambling.
What to do if the maniac is not where you want him to be: I know how annoying it can be to read a writer like me tell you where to sit, as if you can just show up in a cardroom and start rearranging players. If you are in the wrong seat (see my previous column regarding seat selection), keep trying to get into a right one, and play very conservatively. Your opponents will be able to trap you, raise you off hands, and put you under pressure. The only real way to survive until you can get into a better spot is to play as if you were under the gun on every deal. It's either that or give up and find a better game.
Barry Tanenbaum is the author of Advanced Limit Hold'em Strategy, and collaborator on Limit Hold'em: Winning Short-Handed Strategies, both available at www.CardPlayer.com. Barry offers private lessons tailored to the individual student. Please see his website, www.barrytanenbaum.com, or write to him at [email protected].
