Monkey in the middle is a maniac on fire

PRE - raise bigger. At least $25. If not $30.

FLOP - Check is fine. Calling the 1/2 pot bet with 2ndPTK, not closing the action, is cuspy.

In theory, V2 shouldn't be bluffing or even betting weak KX for value, when he goes 1/2 pot into two opponents when he's not the PFR. He should have KQ or bottom set.

If we think he's wider than that, I'd be tempted to turn our hand into a bluff by x/r'ing. But mostly I think I'd just fold.

TURN - Interesting that V2 now checks back. I'd think he doesn't have 2P or a set, and that he may just have KX at best.

RIVER - Think I'd prefer to bet our hand for value rather than check. Might bet $75.

It's concerning that V2 has snap called V1's bet on an ace-high, three-Broadway, three-flush board. It's certainly possible that V2 thinks V1 is just randomly stabbing, so V2 is calling with just KX or whatever, but V1 could have easily been on a draw that got there.

I don't like it, but I might find a nitty fold here.

I would have been barreling 2nd pair. It would have been me betting 30 on the flop and probably 75 on the turn, so the hand would have played differently. This is what you do if you’re a TAG player.

As played, I think you let them catch up. My guess is the ace improved you just enough to make a bad call. I just don’t think anyone plays this passively through the streets with KJ.

I think you have the pot odds to call, but I can’t think of many hands they could have worse than yours & a lot of better ones. If it was one player, I’d feel pretty confident, but that snap call?

Honestly, I don’t think it’s a giant mistake to do either call or fold. With the unpredictable nature of these players, I don’t think a jam would be wise, but you may have the best hand.

This is another hand where I don’t know what to tell you, but if I was sitting there with my own reads on villains, I would know what to do. But, again I would have continued my pre-flop aggression and wouldn’t be sitting where we are here.

At low stakes, a winning strategy is to keep betting until you face aggression, then fold. If you’re going to open, try this path - very often they just call down with worse hands or fold to a river bet. It’s easier to make correct decisions than when you bet check check

I call.
V1 turns over A10 for one pair.
V2 shakes his head and seems unhappy.
I turn my two pair face up and win the hand. Never did see V2s hand. Later he complained about there being only three aces in the deck that could beat him. I don’t think he counted all of our outs correctly but whatever.

I called here for two reasons and I don’t know if I was thinking correctly. Pot odds seemed right. And I had been losing up to this point and I thought “what’s another 100, hell I have two pair that’s strong enough for a call”

Just think you win a bigger pot barreling all the way.

Yes that seems right. V2 was UTG+2. H was small blind.

The hand doesn't make sense. And the reads seem off.

If V2 is solid, he shouldn't be betting flop, checking turn, and then calling the river with any hand that doesn't beat AT, when he loses to flushes, straights, sets, 2P, and better AX.

The way this was played, with V2 limp-calling pre, then betting flop and checking turn, it looks like he either has QTs, a spade draw, or some KX combo with a meh kicker that was pot-controlling. But none of those hands should be limp-calling pre, at least not if V2 is solid.

Even if V1 is aggro on later streets, this is multi-way, with three to a flush and three to Broadway on board. He shouldn't be betting AT for 2/3 pot. He's basically turning top pair into a bluff, in a spot where no one should ever be bluffing, at least not for this size.

When V1 bets and V2 snap calls, it looks like V2 has QT that rivered Broadway but isn't thinking about raising because the BDFD came in. If he just had the NFD on the flop with some weak AXss combo, he might barrel turn, or at least pause long enough to think about it before snap calling river with just a weak top pair.

We can't even be sure we have the best 2P. V1 could have flat called pre with AK.

I dunno. It looks like you may have had the best hand the whole way. But the action doesn't jive with your reads.

What I consider a maniac is a guy that is firing whenever he gets in a pot. A maniac would never check the flop, he keeps blasting off. Way more over-aggressive than your villain.

I believe you & v1 were likely behind a king, until the river. I don’t know if v2 hangs on to his weak king if you keep barreling

If you ever face a real maniac, you will know it. It’s rare, but this breed fires big & never slows down. Simply wait for a stronger hand (2nd pair is probably not it) don’t alert him, and call down - raise the river.

It’s a whale that you describe. A maniac is usually playing decent cards, just way over-aggressively. We have a whale like this always on a roller coaster winning big when his trash hands hit, then losing it all when the math catches up with him. Who knows what motivates him.

He’s dangerous for tilting people when he beats them with junk. Just play good poker and he’s no threat. Still, don’t try to force it. Sometimes you just don’t get the situation to take advantage of weak play.

seems like a call

are we really afraid of backdoor hearts? seems like the only hand to be afraid of is QT. obv V2 could have that but if he's solid he only has QTs and not QTo so thats not many hand combos.

also bet the river yourself next time.

Thanks to everyone for pointing out that my reads were off. After thinking about it a whale would better describe V1. He was up 3k that night, but told everyone he was still several thousand down for the month.

I think I called V2 solid cause he wasn’t as bad as the normal 1-3 player I see playing. Maybe standard player might be a more accurate term. But I figured he was not the type to pay me off if I hit a big hand.

V1 loves to bluff. Betting out would take that opportunity away from him. V2 knows that V1 bluffs often so that may explain the loose call from V2 on the river. I also considered this before throwing in the money.

When players say I haven’t played a hand, I gaslight them with something like: “I played several. You were on your cell phone”. Your average player just lacks the stamina to watch every hand.