Poker maniacs are everywhere! Their loose and aggressive approach to the game can be annoying, and many players often feel helpless facing maniacal waves of big bets. It’s totally normal to struggle against them more than against passive players and calling stations. However, there are some basic and advanced poker tactics that can help you exploit the weaknesses of these unbalanced villains.
Definition of poker maniac
Maniacs in poker are loose-aggressive opponents known for their overly aggressive approach to the game. They frequently bet and raise with little regard for the situation, often making bets that are too large and especially too frequent, regardless of their hand strength. This reckless style is not the best poker strategy and leads them to place incorrect betting volumes, putting chips at risk unnecessarily. Additionally, maniacs tend to under-fold when facing aggression, especially on the early streets, which means they rarely back down from a bet or raise, even when it would be wise to fold.
Exploit maniacs preflop
Loose-aggressive players hate folding, especially when facing 3-bets, so we must assume they will call 3-bets much more often than a regular player. Because of this, when playing very deep, our 3-bets need to be larger and more linear, meaning we should include strong and medium-value hands. If the opponent’s folding percentage to 3-bets is between 10% and 20%, we should be firing 3-bets slightly more than 30% of the time. However, shallow stacks force us to adjust our strategy, as maniacs will also play more 4-bets, which often means going ‘all-in’ in 50 big blind deep scenarios. Therefore, we should become more aggressive ourselves and start jamming more.
Aditionally, you can expect high VPIP in position. When having a maniac on the button position, be prepared that they might join the spot frequently and use their position advantage over you.
If you want to track player statistics while playing online, you should install a HUD (Heads-Up Display). You can read more about this topic in Poker Academy’s blog titled ‘Poker HUD for You: Take the Advantage.’ Start learning poker online today! Join Poker Academy to study preflop and postflop scenarios and improve your game immediately. If you already know poker fundamentals, you can learn how to adjust your strategies to specific player types, such as ‘maniacs.’ Let’s go back to the main topic.
Postflop tips for you
Tip #1
Playing postflop in a 3-bet pot out of position against loose-aggressive players can be very interesting. As you already know, a maniac’s folding percentage against 3-bets is very low, that’s why you need more advanced poker tactics to exploit their game.
Let’s look at a specific scenario.
This is the chart for ‘normal’ players on Hijack against your 3-bet from Small Blind. Now, compare this example from Poker Academy’s Preflop Charts tool to maniacal HJ strategy, which you can see below.
A loose-aggressive player will 4-bet with a lot of strong hands, and their wide calling range will be capped. Betting as the preflop aggressor is a good option, but checking is even better, as your range dominates theirs. We can assume they will never check back and will usually bet half the pot or more. In many situations, a check/raise all-in will be very beneficial because they bet with so many weaker hands.
Tip #2
Single-raised pots 50 big blinds deep in position are quite simple postflop—you are supposed to overbet with every value-heavy hand, including strong top pairs, combo draws, sets, and overpairs. As the in-position player, you have the comfort of checking back, which you should do with around 40% of your range. There’s no need to put money into the pot with very weak hands, as maniacs have a high calling percentage.
Tip #3
Maniacs love attacking their opponent’s checking range, always seeing an opportunity to force a fold. Watching their opponents fold is what they thrive on at the poker table.
How do you counter this? Incorporate more checks with hands that aren’t obvious high-EV value bets and bluff-catch more frequently. This is especially effective when playing wider ranges, like BTN vs. BB or SB vs. BB. It’s much easier for them to over-bluff when their range is 50% rather than 20%.
Tip #4
When playing against super-aggressive players, it’s important to anticipate multi-street bluffs. Would you check-call with 55 on a K92 rainbow board in a BB vs CO scenario? In a GTO approach, you probably should, but against maniacs, you’ll want to avoid investing too much with marginal hands, especially when the board can change significantly. With pocket fives, you’re likely to see two overcards on the turn and river, making your hand more vulnerable.
Summary
In general, Poker Academy recommends applying GTO strategy in every situation. However, GTO play differs when facing another GTO player versus an opponent with a more ‘unique’ style.
To maximize your winnings, your GTO approach should adapt to the specific tendencies you observe at the table. Great poker players excel at identifying and exploiting these tendencies in their opponents.