Mers,Maybe you can post some thoughts about donk betting and dealing with donk bettors. I've been donk betting more frequently recently with good results in the following spots: 1) Against villains who check back a ton2) With weak top pair type hands3) With the nuts or near nuts on extremely wet boards4) As a bluff on dry boardsI know you aren't a big fan of donking (at least I think I know?) and its tough to balance your range donking obviously but it still seems like a useful tool to have in your bag. Anyone else w/ ideas on donking feel free to chime in.
I don't think I've ever said I'm not a big fan of donking :) It's an essential tool against villains who don't c-bet properly with certain hands or play too fit or fold vs it. I think your reasoning sounds good.The biggest thing to realize when reacting to an opponent's donking range is what it means when he checks. There are plenty of opponents who donk a lot of their middling pairs, which means that when they check, their range has way too much air in it, and you can c-bet mercilessly even in situations where you usually wouldn't.
I donkbet alot in limped pots but i donkbet very rarely if ever in raised pots...
That's my tendency as well, but I'm trying to get better about donkbetting when appropriate. Two main situations:1. You have a strong hand that can stand up to aggression on a drawy board you don't think your opponent is going to c-bet on very often. especially when blinds are shorter. JT on T97 with a suit 16bb deep, for example, can work out really well leading here. I got 3 strees of value vs AJ recently on T97T9, to illustrate the point, and I'm sure that player wouldn't have c-bet if checked to.2. Bluffs against tight opponents when either you can rep something and/or a lot of their range is weak, like leading out on a 982 flop with 54 when your opponent loves to check back a wide range.When you donk bet it's generally going to be against people who fail to c-bet, because otherwise, why not just check/raise?
Well it seems to me that bluffing w/ donk bets is a cheaper option than check-raising although you obviously win less but it generally has to work less to be profitable. If villain min-raises to 80 and you call and then donk 90 you are risking 90 to win 160. If you check, villain c-bets 90 and you raise to 220 you are risking 220 to win 250. In my mind the first option is a much better risk-reward relationship.I also like donking against villains who pot as their default c-bet and c-bet 100% (which I run into pretty regularly). I'd rather price myself in with my draws. Maybe this is too conservative?
That's a good point, and well thought out. Especially against looser villains who will float your small check/raise wide, that's a great argument for donk betting instead. If they c-bet a high frequency, though, it's worth it because of the extra chips you gain even if you're risking more.Donkign with draws that can't check/raise/get it in is a great strategy against villains who bet pot all the time when checked to. SSS loves this strategy and I like it a lot too.