The maniac was 85%/44% with a 4 for agg. factor. Everyone was showing him way too much respect and I was card dead for the longest time... Thoughts on this? Did I play this too dangerously? Check the turn? Bet more?

http://www.pokerhand.org/?358059

Limp/re-raise ffs!!

If I reply and you don't agree with me are you going to get pissy and flame me?

In the spirit of armistice --

I think you played the hand well. I'd try to pick a spot with one overcard instead of two, but it was a decent play given your read. And position was already mentioned. Specifically, the check call on the river is good.

But I think you are thinking about the game in a manner that can be destructive. "Making a Stand" is not something you need to do in NL ring games. It's necessary in tournament play. But in ring games you want to play +EV hands, regardless of who they are against. If you start thinking you need to "defend" and "stand up for yourself" you will get yourself in to less than ideal situations. Which is playing in to the maniac's hands...he's getting you to play his game. You want to dictate the action -- force him to play your game. Make him believe that every time you enter the pot you've got the goods, and you're going to bet them hard. I think you did that on this hand. But you want to do it for the entire game. Because it's not a fight, where you can knock him out. Winning a hand from him might not get him to stop playing crazy.

You can actually use the maniac at the table. He's going to induce looser play from other players, taking them off their game. Guys start overplaying, trying to beat the guy. That allows you to exploit the rest of the table, too.