1/2 NL. Four hours into sesion.

Villain ($1500, UTG): 30's JG and a maniac. Hero and villain have played about 50 hours together. He plays about 80% of his hands and really, when he's ever folding pre it's in an unraised pot. He raises about 50% of the hands he plays, but only 3! about 5% or less. He regularly straddles $10 and if anyone raises it or a few people just flat, he shoves every single time regardless of what he has. Some notable hands:

1.) He opens for $12, gets 3 callers and then a very good TAG 3! to $75 and only he calls. Flop comes 9TT and TAG bets $125, villain calls. Turn is a K, and it goes check-check. River is a 3 and villain shoves for around an effective stack of $300 and TAG tank calls with JJ, and villain rolls over K4.

2.) Several limpers a TAG opens to $20 from BTN, villain is the only caller and calls from SB. Flop comes 893, villain checks, TAG bets $35 and villain raises to $150. TAG folds and villain shows 25.

3.) Villain opens for $17, gets a caller and a NIT 3! to $75. Only villain calls and flop comes 27T, and villain checks, hero bets $100 and villain calls. Turn is a J and villain leads out all in for an effective stack of about $250 and NIT snap calls. Villain shows 22 and takes the pot down.

Hero ($500, BTN): TAG image. Hero is generally respected by everyone at the table, except for the maniac who respects nobody's bets. Hero has mainly only shown down very solid hands and has only bluffed once today big, but opponent folded.

OTTH


Villain opens for $12 and everyone folds to hero who 3! to $40 with Q Q. Only villain calls.

Flop ($83): 7 8 9

Villain checks and hero c bets $45, which villain calls.

Turn ($173): K

Villain checks and hero checks back.

River ($173): 3.

Villain bets $150. Hero?

What can you do but call?

Also, if V is maniac I probably raise to like 100 pre if he isn't folding much. Vs. this V, I probably just ship it on the flop.

I snap this off a decent portion of the time, but it really comes downs to his postflop tendencies- and particulary later streets tendencies like turns/rivers. I like that you have provided us with alot of info here,even though its important to remember that maniacs is also different in parts of their game. So for example, even though you described he is very aggro pre if someone raises his straddle, that doesent neccesarily says so much about what we need to know here: his river bluffing frequenzy.

So i mean for starters, he donked out pretty big on the turn with the 22 set hand, and this is a similar spot (3 bet pot, big sizing)- even though this one is on the river. He may very well have a good hand here too.

How does he plays his mediocre showdown hands, like mid pair for example? How is his tendencies if he misses draws? What kind of sizing have you seen him use when he actually is bluffing?

Tough spot against this villain.

Since we are on the button I might like a flat against this particular villain. We have position and we can let him hang himself with his aggression or try and pot control.

AP this flop crushes his range. I’m fine with a c bet but I’m prob sizing up to at least $65 to set up a turn shove as long as we don’t see 4 to a straight.

On the turn I think you have to take a bet fold line. If he floated with AK or binked his K4 good for him. I still think this turn card is better for you than him. I’m betting ~120 and evaluating river if called. Most likely a clear check back if he checks and folding to any raises or further bets unimproved.

The river is a sigh call as played.

Only reason, to ever check that turn. Is to induce bluff on river. Now call.

Also vs this opponent. Flop bet isn't large enough.



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That's the problem with him; his bet sizing is very similar in all of these situations. He had been running really good recently so he hadn't been caught in hardly any bluffs, but in the past he has bluffed all in on the river vs me and other opponents. His trademark is bombing the river.

The reason I chose that flop sizing is because I've been following Jonathan Little's advice - when you 3!, c-bet every single flop, and do so doing around a 1/2 pot size bet every time. Are you saying these sorts of rules don't apply to villains such as this one?

Flop play is great. Want to bet for value, and I like betting 1/2 pot in 3 bet pots also.

But I don't have 100% cbet. Because I have wide 3 bet range. And some flops just crush my opponents calling ranges

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I'd probably check the flop, makes your hand look like AK/AQ, gives V a chance to bluff some turns, pot controls when some bad turn cards show up, and can still get two streets vs some hands depending on the runout. It's going to suck when you bet flop and get c/r which is going to happen pretty often on a board like this, especially against a manic, especially if he knows that it's hard for you to get it in with an overpair on this board and a lot of bad turn cards to come. What's your plan when you bet $45 and he makes it $200? If you're fine with getting it in, then go for it.

Turn, we are not really worried about king. As his range is super wide (and weak).

So we should probably continue to bet. But if we check. We are likely inducing a lot of bluffs. So river is super easy call. Expect to win way more than %50 of time

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Semi grunch:

If someone’s leak is not bluffing then the adjustment is to fold every time. If someone’s leak is bluffing too often, the adjustment is to call every time.

Board is dripping wet. But if he makes it $200. It is easy get in. As we are ahead of his jamming range.

Which is likely every pair+ draw. Every 10, 2pair+...plus this guy is gonna show up with absolute air also.

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Frustrating. I’m a nit. I probably fold.

Snap call. Sucks that he had it this time but that didn’t make your decision wrong, you are good at least half the time against his range here.

Raise more pre. Easy river call.

Also you self-described as a NIT:

This sounds like my session yesterday (me being Hero, not V).