stud8, $2/$4 paradise. headsup with best low draw on 4th vs a maniac

[Wilson]

this happened a few days ago so i can't get the hand history anymore...

8 handed, $2/$4 paradise stud8

villain, sittin directly opposite me, is a lag... overvalues any pair, and any low (ie, he'll see a showdown with them no matter the action). will raise 3rd with any 3 card low, 3 flush, 3 str8 (incl gutshots), any pair and any ace.

i was reraisin 3rd and scoopin him a lot for the most part, until i lost 2 big pots to him, both times i had A245 in 4 cards and bricked out. very next hand this happens:

i get dealt (A3)2 rainbow and bring it in. folds to villain who raises with an ace up. folds to me and i call. i didn't reraise coz i didn't have to worry abt anyone else comin into the pot and (more likely) i got gunshy after losin the two previous pots with huge wheel draws.

no other low cards were showin.

4th st:

villain : (xx)A8 diff suits
me : (A3)28 still no suits

villain bets... wat should i do!?

[Alchemist]

I would just call 4th. While your low draw is at worst equal to his, your problem is that you don't have much of a high hand yet.

Give him an Ace and a random card and he has about 56.3% equity. Give him a 5 and a random card and you're a 5:4 favorite.
If he's got KK you're about even money.

I'd prefer not putting a lot of money in the pot while you're still drawing, especially he's going to pay you off once you're freerolling him. If you go 3+ bets on 4th, what's your plan if you brick 5th and 6th? Or if he catches a baby on 5th and you don't? I prefer keeping the pot smallish and check-calling 5th if you catch bad.

[Bartholow]

It probably depends on whether he's a maniac later in the hand as well or not. If not you may want to get your value in now, and you won't have to worry that he raises you off a marginal hand later. If he'll go crazy later, you want to wait because you can get bigger mistakes from him later, but if you brick which he catches good you'll be happy you didn't inflate the pot.

Or something like that.

[Wilson]

thanks for the responses so far.

i too have messed around with this on twodimes, yieldin the result that i'm usually a decent favourite over the lag's range, unless he has a pair, and even then, i'm stll close to even money; unless he has aces, which i dun think he does, though i'm not abt to rule it out.

all this leans me towards raisin, but the problem with that is the way the hand swings is so dependednt on the cards to come. given that i know he'll pay me off in the event that i should make my hand, i see an argument for callin 4th.

all in all, it sounds like it probably doesn't matter too much or i'm just sayin that i still dun really know wat's the best line to take here.

another thg, is there any merit to bloatin the pot on 4th, so that i can continue on 5th if i should brick? ie. do i want to lessen the chance that i'll get bluffed out? or should i just be content to let go of a small pot in the event that he catches good and i brick on 5th? that is another factor that points towards raisin, but that is counterbalanced by the fact that villain will keep on comin regardless and if i maintain a small pot he'll be makin more of a mistake in doin so.

confused and torn apart! lol

[Bartholow]

I think you want to bloat the pot so you can continue even if you brick when you have a relatively large edge, and keep the pot small so you can get away while he makes a mistake calling when your edge is smaller.