Defending Your Blinds Against a Maniac
A maniac on the button attacks your blinds relentlessly, and the standard defense charts are wrong against them in both directions: too tight on value, too loose on junk.
From Poker Ascent: 110,000+ drills across 10 skills, graded against the player type you are facing.
Defend wider with hands that make pairs
Any broadway, any pair, most suited aces: these print against a range that shows up with 96 offsuit. But drop the pretty junk (85 suited type hands): you defend those against normal stealers for fold equity and playability, and against a maniac there is no fold equity postflop, only showdowns you lose.
3-bet your value bigger than feels polite
AQ from the big blind against a maniac steal is a value 3-bet to 5x or more, not a flat. They call with everything and 4-bet with plenty; both outcomes pay. Do not 3-bet bluff at all: the light 3-bet works by folding out better hands, and nothing folds.
Pick your call-down on the flop
You are out of position all hand, so choose your call-down hands on the flop and stop re-deciding every street. Middle pair on the flop is a three-street plan, not three separate agonies.
Worked hand
Worked hand
Maniac raises the button, you defend K♣ T♣ in the big blind. Flop T♠ 7♦ 4♥: check-call. Turn 2♣: check-call. River J♠: check, they bomb, call. Top pair became second pair and it is still miles ahead of a button-raising range that never fold-filtered. Write down the result and play it again tomorrow.
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The mistakes that cost you
- Defending 100 percent because he has nothing (playability still matters out of position).
- 3-bet bluffing.
- Check-raising the flop with one pair (it folds his air and bloats against his hits).
Practice beating the Maniac
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