Playing 2/5 NL

Villain is a LAG maniac. He showed many bluffs in the first hour after he sat down, but was also capable of turning up the best hand. I was tilting a bit after he triple barreled a bluff and when I folded the river he showed his garbage and gloated about it incessantly. (He had Q5o on a AK822 board.) He called the clock on someone in a $1,400 pot that he wasn't even involved in after the person had only taken about 20 seconds to think about a $500 river call. Then told the entire table to F off when we asked him to mellow out. So, he was working real hard to create an image of a prick and I was dying to felt him.

I'm in the cut-off, V is UTG.
I have around $900, V has about $1,200

I am dealt A Q

PF: V opens for $25. H raises to $60. V calls. Heads up.
F: A 2 3 V checks, H bets $100. V c/r to $250. H calls after thinking for a bit. It was a bit of a tilt call - wasn't sure where I stood, could just not put him on any hand he was known to raise and check-raise total junk.
T: T V immediately puts me all in. So pot is a bit over $600 I have a bit less than $600 or so left.

Do I call?

Your 3-bet is weird. Sizing makes no sense. He will call his entire range here and he should.

Hero is so far ahead on flop, check flop and let him bluff. You're likely not going to felt him by value betting him on multiple streets.

I'm pretty done with the hand now because I think the bet is a mistake.

How do we beat LAG maniacs? We let them bluff on great boards to check.

Against someone capable of bluffing and putting you in a hard spot, I think I check behind flop a lot. Board is dry, and we have position and can let him bluff into us on turn and river.

Against a maniac, I think I call the turn shove. Top pair second kicker on a dryish board is good enough to call down a maniac. You also have the flush draw in case you're behind. While having the A and Q of spades reduces his potential semi-bluffs, sounds like this V doesn't need equity to bluff.

I agree your 3 bet size was small. Tough to play after he check raises. AQ just a bluff catcher.

Yes we call. We have a super nut hand for calling, if we fold this hand we are folding waaaay waaaay WAY too many hands versus someone who clearly we should be underfolding against, not overfolding.

I'm definitely calling, as played.

As the others said, your 3! size is way, way too small, especially against a player like this.

I'm curious why you did not just call in position with AsQs?

Against a LAG, you're in great position to just call him off. As it is, you hit TPGK,the Turn improves you ... you can almost bleed him without risk.

As it is, you're playing for stacks with a basic FD.

Well, you obviously called and V had it, because otherwise this wouldn't be a post. Seems like a snap-call. Suck out if you have to. I would call even without the flush draw on the turn.

Raise bigger pre-flop. I like $100.

Flop bet is fine. You can also check and get two streets from much of his range, but these guys also tend to be calling stations and you want to play for stacks here. I'd rather check/call down with a hand like KK.

No matter what line you take you really can't ever fold this hand.

Very flow dependent. You say he's able to checkraise with air, but after a 3b and then a flop bet/call, you look super strong on this flop. Hard to see him bluffing here.

Basically, don't bet the flop and DEFINITELY don't call the flop unless you're ready to play for stacks. As played it's probably a fold.

FWIW probably no need to 3b a LAG maniac in position. OOP then yeah, make it like $75-85

Pre: Size bigger. (Villain can profitably continue very wide when we choose this size even when villain is OOP. This deep we're going to have a much more defined range than villain after we 3-bet and that's going to give villain the opportunity to outplay us on a lot of runouts)

Flop: Check-back and give him rope to hang himself.

Turn: Close your eyes and call, villain has the ability to be bluffing with no equity and that's enough. If villain has 23o or 45o or 33 GG.

We also almost have immediate odds to call if villain's range is just aces up, which obviously it isn't.

Tough spot. Factors working for us:
1. He bluffs with a lot of hands. (1 pair, total air, semi bluff(lower flush draw)). Given that you have tanked and shown uncertainty to continue which means he thought you have a marginal hand, there might be some chance that he is trying to put pressure on you.
2. Even if you are behind, you do have some equity to suck out on the river(around 15-20% given the nut flush draw).

This should be a close call. Given that I require ~30% chance to win based on odds and given that more than 10-15% of the time, you are ahead, I would make a call here (based on the maniac image of V).

Possible mistakes that could've been avoided:
1. Preflop 3-bet to 3x ~75
2. Better line would've been to check-call the flop, check raise turn/bet the turn (with easy odds to call an all-in in turn/river).

Beat him in the pot with your call. Don't forget about tilt equity. If you are behind (which I seriously doubt: V is raising flop to open shove any turn imo), and you catch a spade/Q ftw, his slag will definitely intensify. Enjoy free monies

Hi all thanks for the comments.

So I tanked and eventually called. While the dealer was counting out my chips V told me he had two pair, but didn't show. I just hoped for a spade or queen.

River comes A

I figured he had A2 and now had a FH and I was preparing to exit. I showed my hand first and he flips out and shows 23o.

So he had me until the river and I got lucky I guess. Most of you mentioned that my pf 3bet was too low. Looking back I am curious and need advice on bet sizing here. If I should 3bet at least 3x his pf raise, what is my goal here? By raising more is the goal to win the pot right there and get him to fold his 23o preflop with that bigger raise? If so, why? Don't I want to keep him in the pot for value here, knowing I prob have the best hand pf? And should I typically be 3betting at least 3x when I'm in position with TPGK even against standard players? My thinking was that even if I bumped it up to 100, he would call with anything and wanted to save a bit in case I completely missed the flop. In a previous hand he cracked my KK with A4o when I 3bet $100 to his $30 pf raise.

Anyway, interesting hand for me, wasn't sure if I had the odds to call or not and just got lucky. I'm glad I called and looks like he played it properly at least post flop. V ended up bluffing off the rest of his stack a couple hands later and left. Thanks for the advice.

The value of AQs diminishes once you get postflop. To put it simple, try to get more money in when you have a better chances of winning and when your opponent can make big mistakes. In this case it is preflop where AQs is a big favorite over 23o. Even though V hit his 2 pair on the flop, his call of $75 compared to $60 preflop would have been a bigger mistake in the longer run. When I say the value of AQs diminishes once you get postflop, it means that if V doesn't hit 23o on the flop, he always has the option to fold given your range and you wont be making more money here. In addition to the above reason for 3x betting bigger, it generally makes your postflop decisions easier in terms of odds calculation when you have a lower SPR with a good preflop hand against a maniac like the one mentioned.
The way the hand was actually played, you have ~36% chance to win it on the turn, so you did really have odds to call on that spot. Irrespective of the fact that villian played fine on the flop and the turn, I am thinking you made the correct decision to call his all-in given his wide range and bluffing capability(which infact helped us make a correct decision in this tough spot).

thanks for replying, this makes a lot of sense, thank you.

Op I actually really like your preflop 3! sizing (assuming his calling range is inelastic at $60 but more elastic/straight forward at $75+). Not sure why you are getting hate here - we want him to call with his entire range and play fit-or-fold post to our "obvious AK/overpair." We wouldn't be 3! a LAG otherwise right? It's a great exploitative play.

That said, I like a flop check. Basically we want to be playing backwards against this guy, betting our semi-bluffs and strong bluffs and checking our strong made hands. Weak made hands probably fit into the "bet flop" bucket because we don't want to be forced to bluff catch middle pairs for two streets.

Man, you don't extract value vs lunatic lags by value betting postflop. You do it by letting them hang there self. We 3b bigger for value vs pre-flop continuing range which is probably anything he raises. Then you hang him on Axx flops even some wet ones, by checking IP and letting him have rope OOP.

He never expects an Ace to check ever.

That's why he is getting hate.

I understand why you're trying to argue Johnny, but I want more money in the pot so I can easily let him bluff stacks & making more money when I c-bet bluff and he folds.

Hero went $60? I'd go $70.

You're on major tilt. Learn to recognize when you are (which you did). Take whatever steps you need to get back to your regular game.

As played, you don't be LAG maniacs by raising them. You let them barrel off. I'd call pre and plan to call down.

You had odds to call against a hand as strong as A2, vs 23 you have something absurd like 38% equity. Your hand is just swimming in equity it is great.

FWIW vs someone who is open/calling 23o $60 is probably the perfect sizing