Biscuit

You don't have to wait for a hand THAT good, although it's lovely when it comes. You just have to wait for a hand that is better than maniac's range.

Most people want to be on his immediate left, but I think it is more fun to be on his right. If you're on his left and he raises, then you re-raise to isolate he will likely just cap it pre-flop out of petulance - How DARE you re-raise him, right?

If you're on his right and raise into him pre-flop, he'll re-raise you and then you can see the flop for 3 bets....or if some normal player caps it after the maniac's re-raise, you can get out of the pot (unless you have a monster pocket).

Knuckeheads splashing their chips into the pot is called OPPORTUNITY in poker.

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Dyno_Don

I like a maniac in there too. I recently played in a six person table NL Holdem free game just to keep up on my poker skills.
Most of the players were checking and playing lightly. I caught a bunch of pots just by raising them and getting called by at least one player while the others folded. Of course I would only raise if I had a pair to work with.
I guess I became the maniac on this table by raising to make the others bet or fold. (the game was rather boring, everyone would check and see who will win the pot)
Needless to say the action picked up and two players got bumped out. I had noticed the last three players against me were women and they were doing really well. After I took out one of the three players the other two sat out their hands while the blinds came my way. So I won 1st place for my 192 free chips.

propiper

to OPPORTUNITY!

Just remember to not pull your hair out when he hits that miracle and even if he gets your chips, no worries, he pays interest on them while he holds them for ya!

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If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it.

-------- W.C. Fields

beaston

I couldn't believe it the other night when I was playing at Cake. In a matter of an hour or so, I had aces twice and kings once. The first two hands I raised 3x the bb ($6) and everyone folded. I was in the BB for the last hand, and everyone folded to the SB, which called, and immediately folded to a min-bet ($2) on the flop....

It always seemed that when I got a good hand and raised, I'd do more than pick up the blinds &/or a call or two. Even though I was seeing ~35% of the flops, nobody wanted to play to a preflop raise unless they had a monster. ...pretty sad, considering this was a 6 seat table.

The last hand I played at the table, I raised with QQ, and got re-raised by the head nit at the table. It was a min-raise so of course I called just to see the flop. Of course he goes all in immediately on the flop, and even with a J high board, it was an easy fold....of course he turns over aces (duh!)

Give me a maniac any day so I don't have to deal with nits.

WhoopsIdidItAgain

Yeah, I love to play against maniacs. The way I see it, they are sitting there waiting for me to double up. I watch for these types of players at the table and target them.

If I go out early to a lucky maniac, so be it. I have saved myself 3 hours of grief and worrying about the bubble. If they double be up a couple of times, I usually skate through to the money because I will just pick my way through these types of players. They have provided me the cushion I need to play my 2-7 offsuit and catch really big hands off players who play textbook poker.

Passive players are a nightmare to play against. You cannot really get any action at the tables and the rest of the field start to slip away from your group.

Biscuit

If everyone folds when you raise - raise more often! Picking up pots before the flop = free money!

:smile:

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They can take our payment processors, but they'll never take OUR FREEEEEEDOMMMMM!!!!