“You MANIACS! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!”
That’s not the reaction of someone who expected to win big at Mybet Japan online casino, but ended up getting unlucky due to the decisions of his fellow players at the blackjack table. Nor is that a quote from Phil Hellmuth after going all-in against a poker maniac who, for a change, had a legitimate hand. That’s a bit dramatic, even for Phil. That’s from the classic Planet of the Apes movie, just after Taylor, our hero, discovers it was humans who blew up the planet and left it to those damn, dirty apes. But seriously, who among us hasn’t wanted to scream something like this when a maniac player at the table upends the entire applecart?
So what, exactly are poker maniacs?
Maniacs are part of the poker ecosystem. They bet big on nothing and keep betting just to test the risk tolerance of everyone at the table. The hope is that they make seeing their hand so expensive that everyone will just fold and let them have the pot.
How do you deal with a player who treats every hand like its Picket’s Charge? Well, you could try fighting fire with fire and match their aggression on every hand. But that’s like trying to fight a donut craving with sprinkles and chocolate.
How to play against poker maniacs
While they try to present themselves as the wolverines of the poker table with their fearlessness, in truth, poker maniacs more resemble a puffer fish. They make themselves look intimidating, but in reality, they don’t want to be challenged. This is where you turn the tables on them. You use strategy and controlled aggression to get the upper hand.
Start by playing tight. Yes, this sounds about as much fun as watching a syrupy Hallmark Channel Christmas Rom-Com, but in doing so, you are planting a mental seed. For example, play hole cards that are only ten or higher.
When these connect on the flop this is when you start getting aggressive.
If the maniac is in an early position and checks, this is when you bet. If the bet is called, this is when you raise. Remember, you have been playing tight the whole time, you’ve waited for a hand, and now you are going to make it pay off. This is one part of the strategy.
If you are in the early position, this would be an ideal place to go with a check-raise. And do it with a little smile on your face. Remember you’re selling the hand. Body language and facial expressions are almost as important as the hand itself. The maniac, at this point, may feel like they’ve been trapped, and fold. If they stay in the hand, you will probably find that your check-raise forced many of the other players to fold. Less competition is obviously better.
If the turn doesn’t improve your hand but doesn’t look like it would have done much for the maniacs either, keep up the act. If they are in the early position and bet, you should raise.
As we approach the river, any player with nothing in their hands and an aversion to living in the alley behind a Waffle House would have folded by now. Anyone staying has either gone this far holding on to a pair of Kings, Aces or Queens or has been bluffing.
If the river card connects with your hand in a meaningful way, this is where you bet big. Your full house is most likely the strongest hand at the table and if somebody just happens to be holding a pair of Jacks then you just have the sort of luck that Cleveland Browns fans have built a lifestyle around. There is nothing that can be done about that.
When you show your hand and it turns out he only went to war with a pair of Queens, he will start to form an impression about you. At this point you will continue your tight playing ways and try to win another couple of pots in this manner.
Conclusion
If the maniac was holding a pair of Jacks, well than good for him. Bad beats happen. In that case just shake your head and show him what he beat. Once again, he will start to form an impression about you. That’s what you want. You want this guy (and the rest of the table) thinking that you only go aggressive when you have something worth being aggressive over.
After a few wins like this, start bluffing. You will be amazed how fast people, including the maniac, fold. That poker maniac will only challenge you, at that point, when they have something of worth to play. You’ve effectively table trained them. And you didn’t even need a rolled up news paper to do it.
