Opponent Profiles: Maniacs
Introduction
In this article
- Don't bluff
- Be aggressive with good made hands
- Be passive with weak made hands and draws
Almost everyone has had this type of opponent at a table. He plays most
of his hands and usually bets/raises before (and after) the flop. He
will overplay his made hands and bluff when he has nothing. Some
players don't know what to do, but you can play profitably against him
by making a few adjustments to your game. This article will teach you
how to avoid mistakes and maximize your profit when playing against a
maniac.
What kind of maniacs are out there?
It's always important to know exactly what type of
opponent you are facing. True maniacs tend to take the cake - they
stick to their 'strategy' like glue and overplay every hand. They are
also pretty hard to find.
You will usually be dealing with a 'temporary'
maniac, meaning your opponent is only adopting this style for a short
time. Tilt is one of the main causes of this temporary madness: A lot
of players can't handle a bad beat and start overplaying and bluffing.
This can take a quick end - they either go broke or end up winning a
big pot and settling down.
Some opponents have a wide range of styles they can adapt. Whether they
are a rock or a maniac or somewhere in between can depend on their
mood, the time of day or even the amount of alcohol they have in their
system.
If you think you might have a maniac at the table,
pay very close attention to his play and determine exactly how
aggressive he is. An opponent might tilt and show extreme aggression 5
hands in a row, but he will probably start slowing down after 6 or 7.
You could be making a big mistake capping with middle pair in the 8th
hand of his tilt.
Part of maniac's game involves bluffing and overplaying in strange spots.
Don't confuse this with a thinking LAG's style. They will often be very
aggressive and make loose raises before the flop. Just looking at their
stats might make you think you've found a maniac. The truth, however,
is that you are dealing with a good opponent who knows exactly what
kind of image he is creating in order to exploit the other players who
aren't able to adapt to his style (or do so incorrectly).
They bluff a lot, but they choose the right spots and can also play
hard ball for value. This opponent can be beaten, but it's not easy.
You'll have to adjust your game and be willing to accept higher
variance when you play against such LAGs.
Most of the players that fall in to the maniac category are
'semi-maniacs,' meaning they are poor players who are much too loose
and very aggressive. There is no method to their madness; they are
pretty much brain dead. Playing against them can be very profitable.
How should you play against maniacs?
Maniacs make typical mistakes that you can exploit. We will now give
you a few guidelines to follow when you are up against a maniac.
The most important rules to follow are:
- Try to isolate the maniac.
- Make looser pre-flop calls, with suited connectors, for example.
- Don't bluff or semi-bluff; try to induce bluffs from the maniac.
- Play good made hands aggressively and weak hands passively.
- Be willing to fold A high.
- Use the maniac to protect.
- Remember your BRM and don't go on tilt trying to bust a maniac.
- Try to get position on the maniac.
You want to be in pots against the maniac, since
you can win a lot of money if you hit a good flop. On the other hand,
you risk getting caught in difficult decisions and don't know where you
stand with hands like A high. You will make wrong decisions.
Avoid hands with poor playability when you don't have an equity edge;
they are too hard to play after the flop against the maniac. K7 or Q9
might have enough equity to call a MP raise, but they are very hard to
play after the flop and/or oop, since you never know where you stand
with your hand on the flop. You shouldn't 3-bet a maniac with this type
of hand.
Still, you should 3-bet and try to isolate the maniac when you have a
clear equity edge against his open raising range. Your 3-bet range can
then include a number of hands you normally wouldn't 3-bet with (the
extent of which depends on his PFR).
Pre-flop: Hero is BU with K
T
2 folds, MP (Maniac) raises, 1 folds, Hero 3-bets, 2 folds, MP calls
You would need at least KQo to 3-bet against an
ORC range. You would need app. 46% to 3-bet a TAG. You should have at
least 48-50% equity against a maniac's open raising range before you
3-bet. KTo has >52% equity against a maniac's 30-50% open raising
range. You would even have enough equity to re-raise with QTs or 44.
There is always value in isolating yourself against an opponent with a
hand that has an equity edge. Take advantage of this when you are up
against a maniac. Try to play heads up; you can outplay him after the
flop.
You can make looser pre-flop calls, especially when you have a hand with high playability (implied odds).
A few things you can do when you are up against a maniac that you wouldn't normally do:
- Open limp
- Cold call after a single raise
- Overlimp after a single limper
These aren't moves you should normally make, but they can be profitable when you have a maniac at the table.
Looking at the flop with good drawing hands like
suited connectors is almost always profitable, since other opponents
will be more likely to play and you will be getting very good implied
odds with a maniac in the hand.
-
Open limping: You
can open limp with good suited connectors (78s, 89s, T9s) when you are
certain that other players (including the maniac!) will see the flop. -
Cold calling: The
same counts for cold calling. You can cold call with suited connectors,
especially when the maniac opened the action. Other opponents are
likely to enter the hand and you can play your hand profitably (and
often in position) after the flop. -
Overlimping: The same counts when another player has already limped.
You can call a single bet with almost any two suited cards in the BB
when the maniac is in the hand. Hitting two pair or better once in
awhile will be enough for an above average pay off, which makes up for
the lack of equity you have when making the call before the flop.
Maniacs are notorious bluffers. They bet, raise and re-raise with
nothing. They also tend to take their hand to the showdown, regardless
of how little showdown value they might have. Don't try to bluff a
maniac - he will bluff right back.
You should play strong draws passively, as well. You shouldn't make any
value raises on the flop when you're not in a multiway pot. Check/call
and fold unimproved. Raising heads up against a maniac would only
result in a re-raise, which is not what you want to see when you are on
a draw.
Free card raises and cheap showdown raises, which require your opponent
to check to you, won't work. The maniacs will get in the way with a
3-bet or donk.
Pre-flop: Hero is BB with Q6 or 54
2 folds, BU (Maniac) raises, 1 folds, Hero calls.
Flop:(4,5 SB) K, J
, 7
Hero checks, Maniac bets, Hero calls.
Turn:(3,25 BB) 8
Hero checks, Maniac bets, Hero calls.
River:(5,25 BB) J
Hero checks, Maniac bets, Hero folds.
Try to induce a bluff when you have a good made hand. Usually you will
just have to give him the chance to bluff. They like to bet when you
check and raise when you bet. You'll have to decide based on the
individual opponent if you are more likely to induce a bluff with a
check or with a bet. Knowing whether you should check or donk requires
a good read on the maniac.
If your opponent likes to bluff after a donk bet, you can play 'stop and go':
Pre-flop: Hero is SB with KQ
2 folds, BU (Maniac) raises, Hero 3-bets, 1 folds, Maniac calls
Flop:(7 SB) K, T, J
Hero bets, Maniac raises, Hero calls, planning to donk again on the turn
Turn:(5,5 BB) A
Hero bets, Maniac raises, Hero calls.
River:(9,5 BB) 7
Hero bets, Maniac raises, Hero 3-bets, Maniac folds.
Of course, this line is only good when you think
he might fold to a 3-bet. If you are sure that he will call/raise any
bet, you should bet/raise all the way through.
Maniacs give away a lot of money. Take what is yours! Hit the gas when
you hit a good hand like middle pair top kicker/top pair top kicker).
2nd pair can be enough for a 3-bet on the turn. Just don't be afraid to
hit the brakes if you think he might have a stronger hand.
Pre-flop: Hero is SB with KQ
2 folds, BU (Maniac) raises, Hero 3-bets, BB calls, Maniac caps, Hero calls, BB calls.
Flop:(12 SB) Q, T, 8
Hero checks, BB checks, Maniac bets, Hero raises, BB calls, Maniac 3-bets, Hero caps, BB calls, Maniac calls.
Turn:(12 BB) 3
Hero bets, BB calls, Maniac raises, Hero 3-bets, BB calls, Maniac calls.
River:(21 BB) 7
Hero bets, BB folds, Maniac raises, Hero calls.
Maniac shows T
7
Don't be afraid of re-raising with your good made hands on the big
streets. The maniac could have any number of weak hands, including
draws and trash. You can still see yourself ahead against his range on
the turn. The third player in the hand only makes things all the more
profitable for you.
Don't let yourself be discouraged when a maniac beats you. Sometimes
they will luck out, and sometimes they will have very good hands. You
will lose a pot to him now and then, but you will make up for it by far
in the long run.
Many players tend to play into the maniac by overplaying marginal hands
themselves. This allows the maniac to get a lot of value with (very)
marginal hands.
You should remain passive when you have a marginal
hand, even if you are ahead against a lot of hands in the maniac's
range. The best thing you can do with A high or bottom pair on a bad
board is check/call down.
Your opponent will probably bet every street. You limit the amount you
lose to better hands by remaining passive. You can avoid tough spots
and won't give him too much value for his medium-strong hands. He will
pay you off when you hit, so sit back and wait.
Pre-flop: Hero is BB with 75
2 folds, BU (Maniac) raises, 1 folds, Hero calls.
Flop:(4,5 SB) K, J, 7
Hero checks, Maniac bets, Hero calls.
Turn:(3,25 BB) 6
Hero checks, Maniac bets, Hero calls.
River:(5,25 BB) 4
Hero checks, Maniac bets, Hero calls.
You have a pretty marginal hand and don't want to play for a large pot.
You should remain passive and try to induce a bluff. He is going to bet
on every street with most of his range, anyway.
Calling a maniac down on every street with hands that have little
showdown value only allows him to make a profit with his play.
Of course, you can't just fold A high. You should take it to the
showdown when you have good equity and few hands could have hit the
board. You should fold it, however, when you don't have enough equity
against random hands.
Pre-flop: Hero is BB with A5
2 folds, BU (Maniac) raises, 1 folds, Hero calls.
Flop:(4,5 SB) 2, T, 6
Hero checks, Maniac bets, Hero calls.
Turn:(3,25 BB) 6
Hero checks, Maniac bets, Hero calls.
River:(5,25 BB) 4
Hero checks, Maniac bets, Hero calls.
You have nearly 42% equity against 50% of your
opponent's raising range - too much to fold. You need to take good
hands to the showdown, since the maniac will bet on every street. Your
hand is good in this example.
Pre-flop: Hero is BB with A5
2 folds, BU (Maniac) raises, 1 folds, Hero calls.
Flop:(4,5 SB) J, T, 7
Hero checks, Maniac bets, Hero folds.
A lot of players would tend not to fold to the maniac in this example.
After all, you have A high and your opponent raises all the time. The
difference this time is that you only have 29.7% equity against 50% of
his raising range! You also only have 35% equity against a 75% raising
range (meaning he raises hands like T6o and 34s). Folding is the best
thing you can do.
You can use the fact that the maniac will raise with most hands to
protect your own hand. If you have a vulnerable hand but are probably
ahead at the moment, you can, for example, bet into the maniac to
induce a raise. This results in all other opponents behind the two of
you being confronted with a 2 bet raise. You can protect your hand and
force opponents to incorrectly fold hands with 6 live outs (since they
will be afraid of getting caught in a raising war).
Pre-flop: Hero is CO with 44
2 folds, Hero raises, BU (Maniac) 3-bets, 1 folds, BB calls, Hero calls.
Flop:(9,5 SB) 3, 8, 9
BB checks, Hero donks, Maniac raises, BB folds, Hero calls down
You have a marginal hand, but could easily be ahead. There are a lot of
outs against you in this example. The BB probably has overcards (6
outs), as well.
In a best case scenario, the maniac will make an
auto-raise if you donk and force the BB out of the hand. The BB could
even fold a hand like 55-77 thinking he is about to be sandwiched in a
raising war.
Once you've found a true maniac, you should keep an eye on him and try
to follow him from table to table. You could hardly wish for a better
opponent. Most platforms allow you to search for other players. Find
out where he is playing and take the next available seat!
You can even try talking to him and challenging him to a heads up
match. Sit down at an empty table and tell him where you are. He will
feel challenged and try to show you he's better. But what should you do
if he moves up to a higher limit?
Don't forget your bankroll!
Don't take any money you can't afford to lose to a higher limit. Some
players like to be temporary maniacs at lower levels just to get the
players there to underestimate them.
The maniac's style is not profitable in the long run, because he
invests a lot of money with weak hands. He does, however, get much more
value for his made hands, since the other players adjust and are much
more willing overplay their own hands when he is involved (which isn't
a mistake).
When a maniac wins, he wins a lot more than the tight players. Maniacs
have upswings and downswings; a lot of players tend to tilt and play
too aggressively when they see a maniac win.
Don't let this happen to you. You'll hate losing to the worst player at
the table, but if you can stay on your A game, you can easily win it
back.
Any time you have position on a maniac (meaning you are sitting to his
left), you have a clear advantage. He has to act first, which allows
you to react to him. You also have better chances at isolating him with
a pre-flop raise. You can get a lot of value out of him heads up.
Being in position will also help you if other opponents stay in the
hand. The maniac will usually bet into you, which allows you to
re-raise (you protect your hand and force incorrect folds). Always try
to play in position.
Conclusion
Maniacs are the best kind of opponent you can
have. This article has shown you their weakness and how you can exploit
their play. Don't overplay your own hand. Invest when you have a good
hand, but don't pay him off with a marginal hand.
You can maximize your profit by finding the just the right amount of aggression and inducing bluffs.
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