$2 NLHE Full Ring: AJo against a maniac

[tzuriel]

This guy has been shoving nearly every pot. He can't have it every time right? He's only shown down one pair and the other cards he's turned over are beaten by my AJo here,

He 3bets my 4x raise and I call, I know I am out of position here but EVERY POT??!

I see the flop and I have a gut shot but not much else. I know if I check he is going to bet. So I lead with a pretty big bet. I guess that was my mistake. He shoves. I call and he turns over 7♣ 8♥ drawing to an open ender. And of course....

I have lost a lot of pots lately to AJo. What is the better way to play it? Thanks.

No Limit Hold'em $0.01/$0.02
Winning Poker Network
9 players
Formatted by pokercopilot.com: Poker HUD for Mac and Windows

Stacks:
UTG - UTG ($2.53)
UTG+1 - UTG+1 ($3.71)
UTG+2 - Hero ($1.95)
MP - MP ($2.00)
MP2 - MP2 ($3.02)
CO - CO ($1.94)
BTN - BTN ($1.92)
SB - SB ($1.64)
BB - BB ($1.22)

Preflop: ($0.03, 9 players) Hero is UTG+2 with J♠ A♣2 folds, Hero raises to $0.08, 2 folds, CO raises to $0.17, 3 folds, Hero calls $0.09

Flop: K♦ T♦ 9♥ ($0.37, 2 players - CO: $1.77, Hero: $1.78)Hero bets $0.37, CO raises to $1.77 (all-in), Hero calls $1.40

Turn: J♣ ($3.91, 2 players, 1 all-in - CO: $0.00, Hero: $0.01)

River: 3♣ ($3.91, 2 players, 1 all-in - CO: $0.00, Hero: $0.01)

Total Pot: $3.91
CO shows 7♣ 8♥ (a straight, Jack high [Jc Td 9h 8h 7c])
Hero shows J♠ A♣ (a pair of Jacks [Js Jc Ac Kd Td])

CO wins $3.72 from main pot

 

[zuker]

in my opinion simple rule against fishes/maniacs etc - you have to have HAND. Don`t ever try to overplay fishes with draws, blufcatchers, A high etc.
I would play check/fold from flop or call reasonable bet.

 

[tzuriel]

in my opinion simple rule against fishes/maniacs etc - you have to have HAND. Don`t ever try to overplay fishes with draws, blufcatchers, A high etc.
I would play check/fold from flop or call reasonable bet.

I am sure you're right about this. I had to learn the hard way! Thanks for responding.

 

[fundiver199]

Preflop
In very soft games it can be ok to use oversized open raises like 4X. You just need to be aware, you are supposed to tighten up your range, when you do it. When you face essentially a min 3-bet, you obviously cant fold. You can however 4-bet. This guy was 3-betting you with 87 offsuit, which you simply just cant allow to take place. And the way to end the madness is to 4-bet much wider for value, than you would against a normal player.

Flop
I dont see any point in leading into him now. While you did connect a little bit with the flop, this is clearly not for value, since many hands have connected better and are now ahead. The play here is clearly to check with intention to call any reasonable bet from him. You also dont want to put yourself in a situation like this, where you get raised. As played I would fold. You are way behind any made hand, you are only slightly ahead of draws, and you are facing an overbet. You need somewhere between 35-40% equity to make a break even call, and even against a maniac you probably dont have that.

Conclusion
This seem like tilted play, and having a maniac on your left can be a tough spot. There is actually nothing wrong with simply finding another table, if you play cash games, and you are not in the mood to contend with something like this. But if you do decide to stay, you need to make the right adjustments. You beat maniacs by betting or raising lighter for value and by giving them "the rope to hang themselfes", especially when they have position on you. You dont beat them by making wild bluffs or tilted calls with A high and a bad draw.

 

[tzuriel]

Preflop
In very soft games it can be ok to use oversized open raises like 4X. You just need to be aware, you are supposed to tighten up your range, when you do it. When you face essentially a min 3-bet, you obviously cant fold. You can however 4-bet. This guy was 3-betting you with 87 offsuit, which you simply just cant allow to take place

Conclusion
This seem like tilted play, and having a maniac on your left can be a tough spot. There is actually nothing wrong with simply finding another table, if you play cash games, and you are not in the mood to contend with something like this. But if you do decide to stay, you need to make the right adjustments. You beat maniacs by betting or raising lighter for value and by giving them "the rope to hang themselfes", especially when they have position on you. You dont beat them by making wild bluffs or tilted calls with A high and a bad draw.

Spot on as usual! Thanks for your continued assistance. I am learning a lot from your comments and analysis.