Strategy against blind stealers

legman2

legman2

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What do you think the best strategy is against someone who raises every hand before the flop regardless of position? I always try to sit to the left of these players to not get caught calling a raise with a marginal hand. However, what should I do when I have a decent starting hand ie. AJ, KQ, 99 etc...but miss the flop and no telling what the maniac raised with. Maniac comes out firing sometimes with junk and sometimes with a great hand. Do I call down with two overcards? Do I check raise? If I bet with two over cards and get raised do I fold? All of these senarios are for heads up limit play.
 
Bombjack

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Try re-raising him every time - might work?
 
ChuckTs

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tighten up, and reraise big, or all in if his bet is big enough. These types of super-aggressive players raise with anything, and you have to take a stand and let them know you're not going to let them steal from you anymore.
 
Jack Daniels

Jack Daniels

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Definitely tighten up your starting requirements. And when you do eventually hit your monster hand against him, let him do the betting for you. As long as he is the agressor, super aggressive opponents will usually fire all three bullets. By letting him bet, you get more money in the pot. In my experience, players like this will fold post flop if you check raise or play back too hard at them and they were bluffing. But they will bet if you just keep calling.
 
JeeDub84

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If it is a heads up limit match then you want to use selected aggression with your stronger hands to try and maximize your profit on those hands by raising when you think you are ahead. Also since it is limit I think that you should be willing to call him/her down with middle/low pair since he has the playing style of a maniac. I may even go as far as calling them down with A high. These types of players are going to hang themselves in the end if you pay close attention and have a little courage.
 
F Paulsson

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Give a specific example for us to look at. General answers to general questions tend to be less-than-useful.

As a sidenote, if you fold often to preflop raises, he doesn't have to be a maniac to be raising every hand. If I noticed that you often folded, I'd raise every-two as well; don't automatically assume that he's crazy.
 
K

keltelle

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I would wait until you had one of your better hands and re-raise 3-4x's over him or just move all in. If its heads up you have to take control, not be taken control over.
 
JeeDub84

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Keltelle, this is a LIMIT HOLDEM example. You cant move all in or raise more than a specified icriment.
 
mrsnake3695

mrsnake3695

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Those hand you mentioned are monsters heads up, you should be reraising with these. Let him know you can push too. Raise-reraise any pair, any ace and 2 cards over 10. You figure to be in front with any of those hands in heads up. Make him pay to push with crap.
 
P

PokerTactician

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Like everyone says re-raise him put the pressure on him. If you wind up with a big hand just call and trap him on the flop if the flop has no draws.
 
gord962

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Why not just call him down? You have no idea what he has and since you didn't hit your flop, why lose more than you have to?? Once you hit your hand, then re-raise.

As a wise man once said, you should not try to call a maniac's bluff by re-raising when you are bluffing yourself.....
 
gord962

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From F Paulsson's blog:
The most common change in players’ styles in reaction to a maniac is that they, too, start to raise and re-raise, seemingly saying “you’re not going to run me over, you bully!” And then you can spot what only a few minutes ago seemed like a semi-tight-aggressive player capping preflop with ace-jack offsuit and checkraising the turn unimproved. What the hell? What’s that supposed to accomplish? “If you can’t beat them, join them” is not a good mantra for playing maniacs. Don’t play their game, they’re probably better at it than you.
Well said, Fred
 
Rockbuster

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I agree with tightening up your starting hand requirements. Monster hand set trap and also reraise preflop with premium hands or instinct if you have it................................................. Rock
 
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