I usually advocate rather tight-aggressive solid poker on this site. But hey, I like action as much as the next guy. Some people don’t like to play against maniac players, but I am not one of them. I have found that solid (semi)tight-aggressive poker works well against maniacs and my craving for action is satisfied.
First I want to emphasize that when playing against a maniac your swings will be a lot bigger than usual, but if you and your bankroll can handle it you are usually in for quite a ride.

So what do I mean when I call someone a maniac? For me it is a player that is unpredictable and plays any two cards super aggressive with little or no regard of the cards that are on the table. This might be someone that is drunk, on tilt or just a bad player that likes to push other players around. But don’t confuse maniacs with skilled super aggressive players like Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey and Doyle Brunson, who might come across as maniacs at first, but use their aggression with great feel and timing.

Now when we have identified the maniac we have to know how to handle him. A maniac will often change the whole texture of the table. You are sitting at a tight rather boring table were few hands go to a showdown and you don’t get much action on your premium hands, but this can all change in an instance if the right player comes along. Raising every hand and making suck-outs with ridiculous holdings a maniac can stirrup the calmest of tables and sometimes even tilt the whole table.

With a maniac at the table more players want to see the flop, because they know that if they hit big they have a good chance winning a huge pot. Drawing hands decrease in value because you will usually be charged a too high price to chase them, but at the same time hitting your hand hard will make you a lot of money.

Pre-flop I usually handle the maniac in one of two ways: I try to see flops as cheap as possible with hands like JTs and small pocket pairs, you will rarely be allowed to limp so you usually have to pay more to see a flop with them than in a normal game, but as long as the stacks are deep it will be worth it in the long run. With premium hands like AKs and high pocket pairs (that plays best against few opponents) I try to isolate the maniac. The easiest way to do this if you have the maniac behind you is by check-raising. You limp and when the maniac makes his usual raise you play right back at him forcing the other players to fold. If someone else calls or re-raises you have to reevaluate the situation.

If I have isolated the maniac I usually proceed aggressively with little regard to the cards that come on the flop. Without a made hand I will only hit the flop one time out of three, but so will also my opponent. With speculative hands I only proceed when I hit the flop hard, either making a big hand or a big draw, otherwise I usually fold. With big draws (12 outs or more) I usually proceed with aggression, either forcing my opponents to fold or getting all the money in to ensure that I get to see the last two cards. With a made hand I often let the maniac lead on the flop to keep him in the pot.

These are only a few tips on how to handle maniacs, but I hope to be able to write more on the subject later on.

Good luck at the tables!
Mike G

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