Strategy against Maniac in Freerolls wanted

Sagory · Sep 17, 2021

Hi!

I played a few freerolls or penny buyin tournaments lately. 2 times I run into maniacs who did an all-in every round (and had luck wiht stacks > 200 BB)

I busted twice when calling the all-in with AKs and QQ.

So, what is a good strategy against such type of player on the table?
Sit-out and wait till I get moved to another table? Play only premium hands like above, hoping for more luck next time? Play my normal hand range (seems to make no sense, when facing a shove all time)

Any ideas?

Hermus · Sep 17, 2021

At the early stages ICM doesn't play a huge role (i.e. chip EV and $EV are very close together). If someone literally open shoves any two cards AND you can close the action by calling you can basically call with any holding that has more than 50% equity against that 100% range. That's a pretty wide range in and of itself. Call a little bit tighter if you're not closing the action though as you might be in a bad spot against other callers.

AKs and QQ are definitely stacking so that's just bad luck.

FoxMS · Sep 17, 2021

I think the best strategy in such situations is to wait patiently for strong cards. In the long run, such a strategy can yield good results. But of course your luck plays an important role here.

Sagory · Sep 17, 2021

Thanks Hermus!

Your reply gave me a new perspectiv to look at this problem.

Sagory · Sep 17, 2021

Sometimes the early phase of a freeroll is like flipping coins.
You see lot of people go first-in all-in with full stack or limping - see flop - all-in (independent of hitting the flop)

makisaa · Sep 17, 2021

Play your strategy, and face the "maniacs", make them fear and think about their moves, surprised them, and be unpredictable.

azforlife · Sep 18, 2021

Best hands dont win ALL THE TIME!
Variance exits for a reason!
Aggro maniacs should be the easiest opponent you'll face as the strategy to counteract their crazy plays is simple, play TAG style, don't get in there with junk or lower yout standards because you're impatient

Batarang96 · Sep 18, 2021

The average hand is Q7o.

If they're pushing every hand, then you calling with this hand or better should be profitable in the long-run.

finaltable1 · Sep 18, 2021

be that maniac... it's a freeroll.

GRIN281289 · Sep 18, 2021

be unpredictable, when a maniac sees surprises, he makes mistakes

scubed · Sep 18, 2021

Sagory said:
I busted twice when calling the all-in with AKs and QQ.
So, what is a good strategy against such type of player on the table?

Don't stress this variance. Heads up, these are good calls in the beginning of tournaments when ICM is not a factor. Keep calling, you'll win your share of the flips!

Sagory said:
Sit-out and wait till I get moved to another table?

NO... sitting out means you don't get any opportunities. Are you trying to survive or WIN? Sitting out give you no chances.

Sagory said:
Play only premium hands like above, hoping for more luck next time? Play my normal hand range (seems to make no sense, when facing a shove all time)

Play the hands that have expected value. Expected Value (EV) is the MOST important mathematical concept in poker. Study for a solid grasp of EV and learn the ability to create +EV plays. This formula is for times when we are CALLING a bet and there will be NO FURTHER ACTION after our call - so this would apply to the all-in calls if you were the last player to act when you called.

Expected Value = (%W * $W) – (%L * $L)

%W = how often you expect to win this pot
%L = how often you expect to lose this pot
$W = when you win, how much you expect to win
$L = when you do lose, how much you expect to lose

Sagory · Sep 19, 2021

finaltable1 said:
be that maniac... it's a freeroll.

I think that does not help to become a better poker player:wink:

Risto234 · Sep 19, 2021

Obviously the best ever (and only) strategy against maniacs is to turn into maniac by yourself

Sagory · Sep 19, 2021

Thank you for your detailed answer, scubed! It much appreciated!

scubed said:
.NO... sitting out means you don't get any opportunities. Are you trying to survive or WIN? Sitting out give you no chances.

Well, I need to survive to win. That's my problem with All-in in tournament play.

scubed said:
This formula is for times when we are CALLING a bet and there will be NO FURTHER ACTION after our call - so this would apply to the all-in calls if you were the last player to act when you called.

Is there a similar formula for multiway pots? e.g.

MP limps
CO Hero AKs raise
THIS call
SB all-in
MP call All-in
CO Hero ?? ( I would call but don't know how to calculate EV here)
THIS call

finaltable1 · Sep 19, 2021

Sagory said:
I think that does not help to become a better poker player:wink:

Playing freerolls (that's why you're here - isn't it?) does not help to become a better poker player

padman400 · Sep 19, 2021

Its a freeroll shove with them, double up or move onto the next freeroll

NDim · Sep 19, 2021

I just wait for a good hand and play. When I lose, I don't try to be upset. There is always a non-zero chance that the worst hand will win. This is poker.

fundiver199 · Sep 19, 2021

As long as you got your chips in good, then why does it matter to bust early from a tournament? All-in preflop hands are an integral part of poker tournaments, and when people play a more correct strategy, they still happen a lot, when blinds have gone up, and you are deeper in the tournament. So its normal and expected to be all in preflop and bust. And why is it better, if this happen after 2 hours rather than 10 minutes? It just mean, you have spend more time still not cashing, if in the money occur after 2 hours and 40 minutes.

You say, you need to survive to win the tournament, and that is true. But you also need chips. And if someone is literally giving chips away in the early phases, you should be happy about that. Its true, that you dont learn much from being on such a table and busting after 10 minutes. But if you want to learn, then dont play freerolls. Play something, you can afford, like a 1,1$ MTT or a 3,3$ MTT. This is the place to start spinning your wheels, if you are serious about MTTs. Freerolls are only for entertainment and the chance to win a bit of free money.

Zapahlohotrona · Sep 19, 2021

We are waiting for strong cards against the maniac. That's all. The bluffing percentage should be practically reduced to zero.

mouTAT · Sep 19, 2021

Early stage in freerolls is a gambling game best hands usually lose try survive with top hands opening it will be more interesting later running deep

Sagory · Sep 23, 2021

Thanks for your advice!
I made it to the final table and finished 2nd. Big boost to m beginner bankroll

Hermus · Sep 23, 2021

Sagory said:
Thanks for your advice!
I made it to the final table and finished 2nd. Big boost to m beginner bankroll

Lets go!!

Strategy against Maniac in Freerolls wanted

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