CdnVet0506

Funny how when you're winning hands, calling raises, catching a flop etc, you are immediately labelled a Donk by someone at the table (not that I mind, actually enjoy letting them think that). Lately I've been on a mini winning streak and have watched my BR grow modestly (30% in the last 2 weeks), although it is still in the small stakes ($1-3 S&G's and $1-3 45 person max tournies on PS's and FTP). Naturally, someone with "more experience", "skill" etc berates my play at some point. Two examples:

9 pers S&G PS's. I'm UTG with AJ off suit, Blinds 10/20. I pop it to 60. Button re-raises to 120. I call (hey its early and to me AJ is not a bad hand and I will normally always call a standard raise/re-raise with it). Flop comes J 5 8. I throw out a bet of 120/Button calls. Turn is some rag, repeat same as above. River A. Bet pot, button calls. He turns AQ for pair A's, I have 2 pair. Starts ragging me and calling me a donk for calling his initial re-raise when a "real" player would have folded, recognizing he was dominated. Imagine calling a re-raise with AJ etc, etc, etc. Justice was served though, he went out 4th, I came 2nd.......

45 pers Multi-table S&G PS's. At final table, chip count I'm 6th. Guy in 5th is really loose and aggressive and is sitting 2 to my right. he is pushing almost every hand and everyone folding. I get 77 on the 6th final table hand. He pushes again. I call. He shows K3 offsuit. 77 holds and I double up and he is on life support. Yep, you guessed it. I'm the "lucky SOB newbie Donk", its obvious by my play etc. How can anyone call an all-in with measly pocket 7's..... (how can onyone push with K3 offsuit when they are not the short stack?). Justice was again served - he went out in 9th (out of the money) and I finished 1st.

To be truthful, I like being called a Donk and I hope they made notes on my "Donk Plays". By their definition Gus Hansen is a donk (see some of the hands he PLAYS). How many of you are "Donks" and loving it?

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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke

Big Mike

Your opponent here is a donk himself for minraising you, which is begging for a call. But, in general, calling a reraise with AJo out of position IS kind of a donk move. Like if he had made it 200 your call was much more dubious, w/o a read saying he 3bets light. The actual raising AJ is fine if that's your style and you can play well post flop. Not to mention you bet out at the flop instead of c/raising or c/calling. In limit holdem that is, by definition, a donkbet (but is not always a mistake).

I agree with your overall point though, that bad players who see plays they don't understand/could not make themselves will call you a donk no matter how solid your play was fundamentally.

cadillac

You sir, are one stinky Halibut

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Stupid is as Stupid does - Forrest Gump

adpro

This is a perfect topic to go along with the way I have been playing lately.

I have adopted a more 'small ball' style of play early in the tournaments I have been in.

I like to show a raise with something like 4s6s. I love when I win with these hands too, cause it gets so many people angry when you beat them on the straight that shouldn't happen. They have something like ATos and can't figure out why I would have raised pre-flop with 46suited.

Either way, it's nice to build that table image so you can get calls later when you have the nuts. I don't spend much money doing it, but it for sure pays off more when you give this image. The trick is, you have to show your hand every once in a while. Call a couple small bets, even if you lose, sometimes to make people think you are a donk.

It's so nice when people think you are a donk. You kind of turn them into a donk.

Either way. I agree with calling his min raise with you oop. I like defending the blinds at the beginning of a tournament (not always, but with decent hands for sure). It scares people into not stealing them from me, if they are paying attention.

Anyway, yeah, I like having the image of a donk. It helps for sure! This and math have really helped my game lately.

CdnVet0506

Thanks for the feedback. However I find, at least in the lower limit S&G's, C/Raising tends to scare a lot of opponents away (although c/calling is a favourite tactic of mine if I'm confident I have best hand or the nuts and want to build pot). Although there are times I want to scare them away, in this case I wanted to get the pot bigger (figuring I had best hand) and betting smallish until the River seemed to be the best way. Ended up winning a pot of around 2200, not bad for 10/20 blinds. He was good though, played his way back into the game.



PS. Have also ran into too many "Sharks" (I use that name loosely) at lowerer limits who pop re-raises or all-ins with junk. Calling a min-raise or even 4 x BB raise with AJ off-suit is a by-product of that exposure. Works enough to be profitable at that level. As I move up in levels (and gain more experience), I figure I will definitely have to adapt my game.....AJ off-suit will likely not be the same hand.........

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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke

ReefAquarium

Donking it up first hand in!

1/2NL Live cash at Casino Niagara,

I sit down at a new table and post $2... Player goes all in UTG for $3....5 callers ... I make it $20 with 4c 6c .... folded to 1st caller ... he flat calls the $20 ... flop comes 874r ... I push all in for $78 ... the caller folds. ...

I show down my crap hand... and split the pot LOL ... The whole table ... (except K who knows exactly what I'm doing) goes ballistic.

Now with my crazy image I just need to go on a card rush to get every chip on the table...

3 hours later I've had ... No pairs ... No AK no AQ...

So much for my investment in image.

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Not smarter than a grade 5 or Kristy Sea

Rocco

[quote=CdnVet0506;168014]
45 pers Multi-table S&G PS's. At final table, chip count I'm 6th. Guy in 5th is really loose and aggressive and is sitting 2 to my right. he is pushing almost every hand and everyone folding. I get 77 on the 6th final table hand. He pushes again. I call. He shows K3 offsuit. 77 holds and I double up and he is on life support. Yep, you guessed it. I'm the "lucky SOB newbie Donk", its obvious by my play etc. How can anyone call an all-in with measly pocket 7's.quote]

This reminds me of that time when during a televised tournament, Doyle Brunson called a very wreckless pre-flop all in bet by then chip leader Patrick Antonius.

Antonius held an Ace/Rag hand and Brunson only held pocket 3's.
Patrick Antonius failed to pair up any of his hole cards and Doyle Brunson ended up doubling up through Antonius.

Doyle brunson then said some classic line like
"This is poker not solitaire Son."

It was awesome!

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