Explanation of Maniac
It’s common to use various abbreviations to describe different types of opponent at the table. Here is a non-exhaustive list.
TAG – Tight Aggressive
LAG – Loose Aggressive
Nit – Exceptionally tight player
Maniac – Loose and crazy
LP – Loose Passive
TP – Tight Passive
Example of Maniac used in a sentence -> Maniacs are quite tough to play against, but they can be profitable targets once we figure them out.
How to Use Maniac as Part of Your Poker Strategy
Maniacs love to pile on the aggression. They play an extremely wide range of starting hands (more than a LAG) and love to make big bluffs on the later streets.
The counter strategy for dealing with maniacs often revolves around using their own aggression against them by setting repeated traps with our made hands. Of course, the exact nature of our counterstrategy should depend on the specific tendencies of the maniac. Many maniacs are also perfectly capable of calling down too wide, i.e. they exhibit calling station tendencies.
A very small percentage of “maniacs” are actually very strong hyper-aggressive LAGs (think Isildur1). However, 99% of maniacs are extremely bad poker players who simply love the thrill of a good gamble.
See Also
