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Prescribing a cure for Donk-Image

Thank you for choosing John Darr as your doctor today. Take a seat on that brown-cushioned table with a paper sheet, take off your sunglasses and hat, have a lollipop. It’s Red Bull flavored. Now tell me, what ails you.

Oh, I see. It was a no limit cash game. Um hmm.

You flopped top set on a clean board? Did you bet it strong? Get called? Hmm. Did you see what looked like a safe card peel off? I see, I see. Did you lead out? And then did all hell brake loose? Oh my. And did you go broke right there on the turn when he hit his gutshot on you? Yep. I understand. And I bet you didn’t boat up did you? Sure you didn’t see it coming, most men don’t. Between you and me, it’s happened to my fiancée and me on several occasions. Heck, I know thousands of guys half your age with that very same problem. What problem? You paid off, donk.

Well here’s my official diagnosis – you may be suffering from a condition called ‘donk-image,’ commonly called ‘ATM,’ also known as ‘pay-off wizard.’ You see, he drew to his gutterball because he thought if he hit it you’d give him your stack. Luckily you had outs. I’ve seen some donks die right there on the table, calling massive raises with only an over pair. Drawing dead as dead can be. It’s not easy to rebound from something like that, takes two, maybe three four sessions. Luckily, your case isn’t as bad as it looks.

When your opponents seem to give you absolutely no respect and call big bets with weird draws, draws you don’t see them chasing against other players, you have to assume there’s a good reason for their gamble. Most likely they think you’ll pay off. What can you do about it? What we’re going to do here is embrace the donk, understand the donk, and figure out how to maximize the donk until we can cure the donk.

The first step is admitting that you’ve done something to get this image. Whether you deserve it or not isn’t up to me to decide. But be honest with yourself. Can you fold bottom two pair, really? The player drawing to their gutshot must have seen you make some pretty big mistakes in the past. I know, “they sucked out.” That’s not the point. The point is this: when they got there, did you make it right for them to call the original bet? I bet that answer is yes.

Ok, so we know you’ve played like a donk tonight. What can you do to stop the onslaught of draws in subsequent sessions?

The second step to recovery is to stop over playing big pairs. This is a big leak for even the most profitable of players but they aren’t labeled donks because they can fold the ass-end of the straight. Generally you can limit your exposure with AA, KK, and QQ by using your bets preflop to narrow the field, not build the pot. And for Christ’s sake, JJ isn’t a big pocket pair!

If you play in a deep stack game, a game with a 200 big blind cap or no cap, you simply can not afford to make big mistakes with only one pair. When you get in behind, you’re generally REALLY far behind and the more chips you commit to the pot the more you maximize that negative situation. If you have a hard time folding AA or KK when the flush card makes on the turn, consider buying in shorter, like 100 big blinds or a bit less. Make your stack less appealing for someone to stab at. Also consider playing math on that scary turn when you’re holding one of the suits. You’ll make a higher flush 25% of the time but won’t get paid when you get there so you’ll need direct pot odds. Remember that you’re the donk, not them.

The third thing, start giving credit. It’s like your ears, nose and throat. They’re all connected. By giving credit even occasionally you’ll see a big difference in the way people draw against you. You see, giving credit is connected to betting draws and made hands. Whoa, wait a sec. We’re getting ahead of ourselves. I’ll get to that in a minute. Ok, give credit. Now when the flush makes, damnit, don’t check call any bet. If he makes a big bet on the river give him credit, give up that split two pair. Now if he prices you in with a 1/3 pot bet take a moment and breathe deep. Think, “how much did I charge him to get there? If he is there, am I paying him more than he needed to make the call?” Also, look at the board to see if another draw missed, like a straight draw. Did he miss that draw and is taking a stab? Ask yourself “with all those draws out there, would he really play a better hand than mine like that?” “Did he back in to something else, like two pair or a straight with two flush cards?” If it’s the case that he’s betting just enough to get paid off, you should probably just fold. If it’s the case that you know he thinks you’re a donk, fold.

I know, I know. He could be bluffing. I know, I know, you won’t be pushed around. Calm down. I’d like to go more in to this but I don’t want to lose focus. I’ll give you a prescription for some clarity at the end of this talk, er article. Check it out.

The final thing you can do is to understand the strength of the donk, opponents believe you will put a lot of money in with lesser quality hands when they second best you. So, start betting your nut draws. By adding this touch of deception you’ll disguise your hand and make it harder for your opponents to know the strength of your hand. And don’t forget that they’re looking to put a lot of money in when they make, so when you second best them you’ll get their stack without effort. If you play your flush draw like top two pair and they’re on the straight draw often they’ll over look the flush card if it makes their straight. That’s where you make all your money. Basically donks like yourself broadcast that they have a monster hand and when there’s an opportunity to draw at something that can beat that monster, players are jumping on it. I know, you do your best to hide tells. But sometimes we just can’t hide the fact that we love our hand. Sometimes we’re open books.

So when you realize your table image is that of a donk don’t fret. Use the donk to your advantage and eventually your game will get healthy again.

Prescription for Clarity:

It’s a bit risky with some serious side effects, but if you suffer from donk-image try this remedy. When you flop a big hand like two pair or better don’t hammer it. Check call or let a card peel off for free. I know, free cards are death in poker. No, you’re not slow playing. We’re trying to cure your donkness. If the turn makes no draw and you’re confident you have the best hand, bet 1.5X pot. Don’t worry, the pot should be small because you didn’t protect your hand and you’re minimizing your risk. If you get raised or reraised, you can comfortably fold bottom two pair and, yes, split two pair. If you have a set, you probably have the best hand and have successfully trapped someone. If the draw makes on the turn reverse the role of the donk and consider drawing to your boat. As you didn’t protect your hand on the flop AND you have image of the donk you increase the likelihood of getting paid off when you get there. Now who’s the donk? Cool huh?

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