Hand 2 at Bally's NL 1/3: CRG must break me?

[Gishaclaus]

Since our last episode, CRG has managed blow off a few chips (by raising preflop with Q5o and then reraising a raiser that turned out to have KK). He's holding steady at around $330 for the hand in question. I have about $2150 after my last hand. I'm in the CO with . CRG tosses in his standard $28 preflop raise from MP, and I smoothcall, as does the big blind, who is a sleepy fellow with about $400 in front. Three to a flop of:

($80)

BB and CRG check to me, and I lead out for $60. BB folds and CRG immediately pushes all in. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

Eric

[Danhdan]

Well, it's hard to put him on a hand here because of his reckless crazy style of play as you have described him. He could have K3, Q7, or maybe he got really lucky and hit top two pair. Since I have all the time in the world because of all the chips I have won, I would probably wait for a better spot to take him down. Of course, his money will probably be gone by then, and this might be the best opportunity as well as the last to take his last nickels from him before he gives it to someone else. But, as I am happy with the money I have, and I don't want to share it with this idiot, I probably fold here.

POt is $80-85 when flop hits, then pot is $140ish when he pushes all in for $240 more, so $240 seems like a big price to pay for just TPTK w/ tens. Especially when he could have gotten lucky this once.

Keep your money until a better opportunity hits, then take his stack.

[Nortonesque]

Has CRG shown a tendency to use the check raise? If not, then I don't like it. If so, has he shown anything down that he check raised with?

[Gishaclaus]

Norton --

One time CRG checkraised a guy who bet $50 into a $200 pot on the river and had $50 left behind with K high, then muttered "he was supposed to fold" as the guy dragged the pot with top two pair. When I say crazy, I mean crazy.

Eric

[Mad Genius]

If he is really that crazy then it seems like a fairly easy call. Also such an overbet doesn't seem to want a call, but I don't know how crazy people process poker information in their heads so I could be off here.

[Bob314]

I really don't see how you fold here? You just hit TPTK against an insane player. You can't go around giving players like him credit for a hand. What kind of flop are you looking to hit with A-10? 10-10-2? If you folded here then you had no business calling with the hand to begin with...

I really don't see why you called one of his bets with A-10o to begin with. You've mentioned in other posts that there is a difference between playing "perfect poker" and the kind of poker that will win you the most money in a situation, and I strongly agree with your thoughts on that, but I don't think this means you call a raise of just under 10x the BB with A-10o. It is my understanding that the right way to handle maniacs is more like your earlier play with 7-7. Call with superior cards and get paid off. Play better than average starting hands against him so that when you do get into it with him you can confidently get a lot of chips in the middle. When your opponents are playing poorly it is rarely a good idea to play more like them (You don't normally call raises with A-10s, right?).

[Gishaclaus]

Well, again, I won't say that I would never call raises with AT suited . . . I'd certainly call $15 in LP with a few other callers, as would most people, I think (especially in a game like this where people play so poorly after the flop). In this case, ATs and hands like it are superior cards (in this narrow instance against a player like CRG). Anything below AJo I'm dumping in this spot, because I don't feel comfortable playing relatively weak aces without the added protection of it being suited. At any rate . . .

I practically beat him into the pot . . . I even said that I called before he finished saying all in, I believe. Anyway, he flipped over A6 offsuit. Turn was an A and MHIG.

I hope all of you aren't getting the wrong idea about me; I'm not posting any great, solid plays I'm making because I don't think they make for good discussion. The close ones are fun . . .

Thanks again,

Eric

[Bob314]