A “Donkey” in poker refers to a player who in modern poker term is player who plays with the worse cards but somehow manages to win. It is difficult to beat a Donkey in poker since they do not use poker skills to win. The gamblers can take a chance with any two-hole cards regardless of their value or poker hand ranking and win. In most cases, a donkey raises a pre-flop for no reason or calls with nothing. Making a note of these players can allow you to identify a donkey also referred to as a Donk or Fish. A donkey in poker is a bad player and makes blatantly bad poker plays. Usually, the player is weak or inexperienced and mainly plays his hand against the odds and doesn’t fold poor hands.
Characteristics of A donkey in Poker
A donkey in poker is stubborn, ignorant, or has limited intelligence. These traits usually play out at the table and a typical play that makes a poker player be referred to as a donkey is the calling of every hand, continuous calling while holding poor cards, and going all-in on a poor hand. A donkey in poker continues to bet on a hand despite a poor flop and with other players, he shows strength by raising a bet. Also, a Donk can beat another player with a strong hand. Nevertheless, a weak player can be mistakenly referred to as a donkey. The difference between a weak player and a donkey is that those weak players are likely to fold hands they should have continued to play.
How to quickly identify a Donkey in Poker
- A donkey overplays hands and has significantly low odds of winning
- He talks too much at the table and is quick to discuss previous hands with other players
- A donk can give tells about their strategies
- Show off their cards after winning and boast about their success
- Keep calling regardless of the cards they are dealt and their position at the table
- Make raise and re-raise even when they don’t stand to benefit from doing so
- Go all-in frequently even when they have been dealt moderately good hands
- They overuse bluffs
- They go on Tilt after a bit
- A donkey is inconsistent, unpredictable, and does not follow any standard style
How to beat a Donkey in Poker?
What is a donkey in poker? Having known what a donkey is and how they play as mentioned above, there are ways to beat a donkey such as
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Playing tight
If you want to play and win against a donkey, the best way to do it is to stay composed and play tight. Basically, donkeys play with two cards but the moment they hit a card on the board they begin to make raises and re-raises. In such a scenario, playing with a weak hand will create a chance where you will be called and since you do not know what the donkey player is holding you can never assume a win. You can be expecting your high card to win the pot only to be crushed by a pair of 5s in the end. Otherwise, if you hold a premium hand, bet aggressively to ensure your opponent folds by putting pressure on him
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Avoid bluffing
Never bluff while playing with a donkey since donkeys are ignorant stubborn and unpredictable, therefore a donkey player will not understand your bluff. Herein, he will not throw away his cards more so if it has hit the board.