AKs vs TT against Maniacs?

[Erik343]

I was given advice to wait for premium hands against maniacs preflop. And to call them down with top pair or better on the flop.

I will play these in or out of position:
AA
KK
QQ
JJ
AKs

I will play these in position:
TT
AKo
AQs
99
AJs
KQs

My question is: is AKs better than TT or vice versa, especially vs maniacs?

Are these hands in the correct hierarchical order according to strength?

 

[takinitSLEAZEE]

I like the AKs v 10-10 because you have way more flop equity. It's two over cards w/broadway, flush, and royal possibilities, so plenty of outs to be compared to a possible 2-outer.
Remember, AK is the best non-paired starting hand.

 

[JeffSBrito]

Hello!

To play against a maniacal player who has a TT pair can be a challenge. It's important to stay calm and not get carried away by your aggressive style. In this case, it is recommended to take a more cautious stance and wait for strong hands before investing significant chips. Patience and hand selection are essential to avoid unnecessary confrontations. I tend to play every time I have AKo, or aQo.

 

[aurora1207]

When you use poker software to calculate the equity of one hand against another, you will find that AKs vs TT is around 45% vs 55% i.e. TT has a bit more advantage than AKs .

To put it simply, we can say that we are playing 50% vs 50% because the difference of 4 or 5 points is not really significant.

 

[kunkgreen]

Exactly as stated above. It's a tight race (almost coinflip situation)!!!

 

[Erik343]

I had a follow up question...

What advice would you give playing against two or more maniacs at the table preflop? I know you must play tighter in multiway pots. One time I was playing where two opponents were involved in the pot every time preflop, and after that street both would keep raising 100% every hand. They were both eventually all-in. (I guess they were colluding too... I did not complain to the floor, because they were playing recklessly. Before the flop, the first guy would make a big raise, and the other friend would just call).

In this situation I was waiting for AA KK QQ AKs. I would then call them down with top pair or better.

What would you do in this scenario? Is this too tight? At least I now know how to beat one maniac lol.

 

[teepack]

Playing against anyone with TT vs. AK is going to be tough. The goal against a maniac is to get it in good. If you have a really strong hand, raise pre-flop and then raise him again if he 3-bets or 4-bets you. They're relying on people folding to their aggression to win. They don't want to see a flop, because they are more likely to have 8-2 off than a pocket pair.

 

[Erik343]

Sorry, but I was referring that I had the TT or AKs hand preflop, not the villain…