I Used to Hate Maniacs; Now, I Love Them

Hi. Come on in. I have hot chocolate to take off the chill, and cookies to dunk. You can dip your fingers into it if you want to warm them up, or drink it.

So, you've run into the play of some poker crazies and didn't like it. Can't blame you. Many players, when they find themselves in a game with a maniac, will hope for the maniac to go broke and leave, or they will leave instead. I was one of those players until I began examining the play of the maniac. Fascinating.

Here are some thoughts about playing, and winning, against the crazies. Maintain your discipline. It will be tempting to come in against the maniac with hands you normally might not bother to play. His starting hands will usually be of a much lower quality than yours. You can thus relax your starting-hand requirements a bit, but not if there are other good players in the pot who are holding steady on their starting requirements. While you're setting up to pick off the maniac, you'll be in danger of being picked off by one of them.

Here's another important thought: Don't play in a game with a maniac if you are short on money. A maniac loves to raise a lot – oftentimes every pot and every card. It's going to cost you some money to stay with him. You should have at least a double buy-in to begin with. You might go through a single buy-in playing just one hand with this raising fool. Speaking of fools, we all know the old saying that a fool and his money are soon parted. But "soon" often comes later than sooner to the maniac.

The maniac's bad playing does not mean he will get only bad cards to play badly. The maniac will get as many good hands as you or anyone else in the game. And when he does his rammin' and jammin' with a good hand, while you and the others think he is still playing a dog, he will score a mountain of chips to keep him in the game until "later." So, maintain your discipline and you won't contribute to his mountain.

That's the second time I've mentioned discipline – and I probably will again. Discipline is what will get the money against the maniac. Wait for good cards and don't try anything sophisticated. Don't make fancy plays to relieve him of his chips, because he won't notice. He's just waiting for his next chance to raise.

Don't try to take control of the table with a maniac in the game. Let others do that. Relax, watch, and wait. It might work out in such a way that you won't get into a position to take down a portion of his stack. Push it when you do get into that position, and relax when you don't. That way, at least when he goes down the tubes, he won't take you with him.

Here's another thought: You want to act after the often-raising maniac. So, sit on his left if you have the opportunity, or as close to his left as you can manage to maneuver yourself. This is important enough that if you are sitting at all to his right, be aware of any players on his left who are about to leave the game – and get yourself into one of those seats.

Once you have determined the best seat in relation to the maniac, quietly tell the dealer you want a seat change. When a seat comes open near his left, move over. Now, you have a positional advantage to exploit him. When he raises the blinds, you can reraise, making it three bets to those who act after you. Even in loose games, not many players will call three bets cold without a pretty good hand. This will put you on notice that someone has power to contend with, and you have more than the maniac to beat.

But don't be reraising with just any random hand. After studying his play, you'll have a line on what he raises with. Most often, it will be junk. But be aware that the maniac could well have a legitimate hand. Most often he won't – but there will still be times that you will be building a big pot for him. (That's why they call it gambling.)

One of the things I hated most about playing against a maniac was the fact that it was almost always going to cost me three or four bets to see a flop or take a fourth-street card. So, it was ticklish to play marginal hands. Plus, a free card would not be seen until the maniac left the game, usually broke. Sometimes he goes broke distributing his winnings from you around the table. That's a terrible feeling, so be careful.

We'll speak more on this next time. I was kidding about dunking your fingers in your hot chocolate. Here's a towel. Clean up and kill the light on your way out.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the bestseller 7 Card Stud, the Complete Course in Winning (available from Card Player), continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Call 1-800-548-6177 Ext. 03.