When your challenger at the poker table starts to bet a lot and raise more than their fair share of hands, most poker players will quickly label them as the ‘Maniac’. However if you study the poker maniacs play closely you will notice a pattern of aggression being employed which fits into one of four categories. The kinds of poker maniacs are;
Predictable maniacs
These kinds of poker online players are generally thought of the most as a maniac by a lot of players. When this maniac plays they bet, raise and re raise almost every hand pre flop and a lot of the hands on the flop too. There is no way of getting a read of what hand they are holding because they do the same thing every time. However you can make a few observations about these players. The first thing to note is a lot of these players tend to slow down on the turn when you call them down. When this maniac re raises you on the turn this will mean they actually have something.
A few situations change but it is rare for even the craziest maniac to keep pushing the pace on later streets. One school of thought has always been taught that you are always to play poker online with the maniac sitting to your right so you are not getting caught limping in and getting raised off of your hand. With the predictable maniac it can actually be good for you to have this player on your left because you can limp with big hands like Aces or Kings and then go ahead and re raise them when it gets back around to you.
Opportunist maniacs
This player seems to act like the predictable kind but they actually have a different thought pattern that inspires them to be very aggressive. A few like to raise a whole lot of hands after they win a big pot to keep the table on tilt or play the rush. Others may slightly go on tilt themselves if they lose a hand just so they can make the money they have lost back from the next pot.
By knowing this information and studying them carefully, you can figure out what they are doing and even set a trap against them.
Erratic maniacs
These kinds of maniacs can be very tough to play against, because you may have observed them being tight for the last hour and then watch them start raising 3-4 hands in a row. Initially you will put these players on a good hand until you either see a show down or consistently see more raises than they could possibly have good hands statistically for.
It is much harder to get into the flow of their game to take full advantage of their play, however if they stay at the table long enough you will see the pattern of their play take shape and work out how to nullify it.
Professional maniacs
These kinds of maniacs definitely deserve their own category; they are the smartest, expert online poker maniacs you will meet at the poker table. These kinds will sometimes purposely play ultra aggressive because they have studied other players at the table and will know if they are dealing with a lot of tight players or anyone who shows fear. So just like all the other maniacs they will raise lots of pots but here is where the big difference is. Once these players hit the flop, they will change from being a maniac to playing tight aggressive poker.
Poor poker players can easily make mistakes against these kinds of maniacs for having nothing when they bet all in on the river and end up calling off their whole stack. Be careful not to give these players too much action with weaker hands. Still focus on raising them with good hands and remember what they show down with against other players.
Happy playing!