Keep in mind that in poker, seating position is absolutely critical. It is almost always advantageous to sit to a maniac’s immediate left. The worst seat at the table is usually to the maniac’s immediate right. So, in such a situation your first goal should be to select a favourable seat. Request a seat-change if possible.

With a maniac in the game, the ultimate objective is to get in with the best hand, anticipating that the maniac will pay off on all bets and raises. In tight games, a tight aggressive play is usually the optimal strategy. In other words, in hold’em enter a pot with premium starting hands (pairs higher than 7-7 and non-pairs like A-K and A-Q), and bet them aggressively. The maniac will often try to intimidate you into folding by raising and re-raising. But since you are playing good cards more often than not, you will end up with the best hand and win more pots.

In wild games, a very different strategy is necessary. Since the maniac has created multi-way action and big pots, drawing hands increase signifi cantly in value. Pre- flop hands like suited-connectors, small pairs, and Acesuited are often playable cards. If you have two suited cards and flop two cards to your suit, a raise by the maniac actually increases your expected value in the hand, since you will win a much bigger pot when you make the flush (which happens about 37% of the time when you flop a flush draw).