$10 NLHE 6-max: Slow playing a maniac - Should I have raised?

Hi guys, playing 10nl on pokerstars

Have been into a couple of pots with someone and quickly tagged him as a maniac. Overbets on every street with any two vs checks etc etc.

Approx 100bbs effective
I open AJs in the HJ and I get called by villain in the CO.

Flop is A74r. I check to induce and villain bets 1.3x pot and I call.

Turn is the 5s (I have no FD). I check and villain bets 1.5x pot and I call.

River is the 3s completing any spade flush. I check and villain checks through with 66 for rivered straight.

Obviously my own fault for letting it get there and is the risk of slowplaying. At what point should I have raised in the hand, probably on the turn? Protection is for sure my biggest issue that I need to improve so would appreciate any feedback.

I like the flop x/c vs this kind of V. There's some merit to raising turn but I think we have better hands to do that with (2 pair+, maybe even tptk, or pair + draw). Given the sizing and the fact that maniac could have ATC and stack off with two pair I think x/c is also fine on the turn. We don't have to auto stack off every top pair third kicker hand against this guy. When he's overbetting every street I don't really consider it slow play to call down with strong top pair hands. I'd be glad he didn't pot or jam river so we can at least get some info. I'll also add that if we are always calling river if spades or straights complete then just getting the money in on the turn becomes more attractive. It can be really tough to range a maniac and know when to fold scary river cards. So if you can't think of which river cards you're folding to then yeah, raise turn and put your seat belt on. The downside is that you may fold out a bunch of air that would have bluffed river.

You played the hand just fine. Its always annoying to get drawn out on, but it is part of the game and can not be avoided. You were far ahead, when most of the money went in on the flop and turn, and that is all, that matter.

Jordansimo said:

Hi guys, playing 10nl on Pokerstars

Have been into a couple of pots with someone and quickly tagged him as a maniac. Overbets on every street with any two vs checks etc etc.

Approx 100bbs effective
I open AJs in the HJ and I get called by villain in the CO.

Flop is A74r. I check to induce and villain bets 1.3x pot and I call.

Turn is the 5s (I have no FD). I check and villain bets 1.5x pot and I call.

River is the 3s completing any spade flush. I check and villain checks through with 66 for rivered straight.

Obviously my own fault for letting it get there and is the risk of slowplaying. At what point should I have raised in the hand, probably on the turn? Protection is for sure my biggest issue that I need to improve so would appreciate any feedback.

Click to expand...

Hello Jordansimo, thank you for sharing your hand. AJ is a very dangerous hand to be slow playing out of position to begin with, even against a maniac. If you believe you have the best hand and that Villain will continue paying with you with draws raise flop, raise turn and check river when completes the draws of Villain and we don't have enough removal.
On the other side of things, you played the hand well, avoiding to lose a big pot, because if you go raising flop, raising turn in the case Villain bets, on the river it would be very hard to leave TPTK against any board texture, considering the Villain is going with anything postflop.

Regards;

Carlos 'Aballinamion' Barbosa