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Hero ($500) has been playing tight for a few hours. Should be viewed as a TAG by most of the table but the Villain hasn’t seen me play any notable hands as I’ve been card dead, so I probably look like a Nit to him.
Villain ($500+) has dumped at least two buy ins and went to play craps to win enough to get back in the game. Has built his stack up by getting it in bad and sucking out. He’s been very good for the game but most people hate the variance he brings. He’s been raising every hand he plays to $30+. Playing around 50% of hands.
I look at JsJh UTG and decide to limp planning to reraise. I would only do this due to the maniac as I know he’s raising so often. Thoughts on this?
Maniac raises to $35 and two players call. I raise to $135. I feel this should have been larger due to my position and the number of callers.
Maniac calls and says “Smells like jacks. I’m shoving any flop that I hit.” Hero is not happy about him calling my hand but I don’t show it. The other two fold.
Flop ($340) 9s-Jd-Kc
Pretty good flop. I only lose to KK and QT. I think he would have 4 bet KK+ so I doubt he has KK in his range. I check and he bets $365. I need 34% equity to call and I have 35% against QT so I call.
I am really interested in the pre-flop play as the flop pretty much plays itself. Any thoughts on alternative lines or bet sizing?
Hi Bill
I’m personally not a fan of the backraise (or limp/3bet) move. I think it looks too often like KK+ or a AK making a move. Here, especially if villain thinks you’re a nit, your limp/3bet is gonna look too strong. Imo you’ll take the pot pf, or when called, you’ll be up against an overpair, or you’ll be flipping (and what would you do if he 4bets?). I’d rather limp/call (if you want to look weak and underrep your hand) or I would’ve simply open raised myself (12-15). I’d called had villain 3bet (or you can 4bet, but I feel that narrows his range). I’d 4bet more as a semi-bluff with stuff like AXs. But your JJ are too strong vs his range to turn them into a bluff (imho)
Im crious on what he had. AK, KQ? QJ? KK? But then he doesn’t need to hit the flop (as he told you, but he might just be messing with you when he called your hand). That flop must have created some laughts when the jack came out? 🙂 I wonder if he really thinks you got JJ, if so, what is he pushing with? On the other hand, if you can have JJ here, you certainly can have QQ too.
I don’t mind the limp-raise here pre-flop. I think that’s probably the best way to play against the maniacs that can have literally any two. With two callers, they have wider ranges than normal because most players loosen up because they want to play hands against the maniac. Chances are if they had QQ+ or AKs they’d raise here. My only recommendation here is to go bigger. You have over $100 in the middle you can win, so I would probably got more like $180 and try to win it right there.
The question here is what do you do when you miss the flop? That is, what happens when the flop comes AK2? It’s easy to play when you flop a set or flop the overpair, but a lot of the times you’ll get at least one over, then what do you do?
With a maniac, you really need a plan on what you are going to do. Most people will start calling pre-flop and folding flops because they’re scared to put the money in unless they hit. That’s why those maniacs usually win in the short-term before someone cracks them. Most players don’t like putting in 10-15 BB pre-flop, then they get tired they aren’t playing hands and play poorly against the maniac.
I think you want to put money in the pot while you’re ahead. When you get a premium hand – especially a pair – you need to get money in because you are way ahead of the maniac.
The limp/RR is certainly not a standard line for me but the dynamics that he created made me try it.
The range I assigned him pre – flop was 22-QQ, all Broadway cards, suited Aces and most suited connectors and some suited one-gappers. I felt he would have 4-bet KK+ as he had built a very aggressive image and wasn’t afraid to use it for max value. So basically he was left with hands that needed to improve.
I believed his “I’ll get it in…” speech as I had seen him get it in with bottom pair, weak kicker, no draw a few times. On this flop with him shoving, I’m ranging him on QQ, TT, 99, and all Broadway’s that connected (tptk, pair+draw, two pair, the joint) and maybe a couple spazz hands. I’m never folding because my hand at worst has 35%. At this price it’s slightly profitable to call even if he showed me QT. I agree on sizing up though. On a flop with only one over I’d probably have to station him. It’s my favorite play against a LAG/ maniac even though it is swingy.
I’m not so sure with the limp reraise. Because this is usually reserved for hands that won’t 3bet fold to a 4bet. Unless the 4bet is from the maniac. So you are actually overrepping your hand. The maniac isn’t the only person at the tsble and most maniacs attract action and people put the limp 3bet or call 4bet into their QQ+ and AK range. So if you get someone to call you planning on 4betting the maniac then your going to get blown off your hand. I would say it’s better to raise call.
You would avoid the high variance situation of possibly getting 4bet. Then you need to decide call then have a weird SPR situation then get it in and not feel great about it if the board comes undercards. Or check decide on some overcards
.Being a maniac, you can exploit his plays post flop that don’t increase the size of the pot immensely and make the flop a shove or fold scenario. You want to play pots with him but not as th e expense of manuverbility post flop.
Ok I think you play the hand fine against this type of player. One thing I would have taken from the comment he made is that I think you can squarely put his hand on ace queen king queen. Most likely king queen with his flop bet. If somebody says out loud that they put you on jacks and they are shoving if they hit the flop I would take that as them saying they have two overs to a jack, that would be my interpretation of ghat comment
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