Poker is quite popular around the world. Online poker has a massive player base of over 100 million worldwide, with 60 million in America alone. Every casino offers poker, a staple in pop culture, with movies like Rounders and Casino Royale partly responsible for poker’s popularity. Poker even has a great competitive scene, with tournaments like the World Series of Poker offering millions of dollars in prize money and being streamed to millions of viewers. With a game this popular, you may wonder how easy it is to start playing.
The good news is that poker is incredibly beginner-friendly. With Texas Holdem, the most played version of poker, the rules are elementary, and beginners only need to keep track of seven cards. Players can easily learn the basics of poker in minutes. Some people may think this low-skill floor means putting extra effort into poker doesn’t matter or that beginners could beat experienced players if they get lucky. That is not the case, and poker strategy has a lot of nuances. You must constantly adapt to your opposition to win. That means changing up your playstyle and using new techniques. This poker guide will focus on a misunderstood and underutilized move in poker: The donk bet.
What is a donk bet?
The donk bet was widely regarded as a bad idea and was often the hallmark of an inexperienced poker player. Nowadays, it is no longer seen that way and is instead viewed as a niche option that even pros use when the situation is right. It is when an out-of-position player bets, even when they were not the aggressor last round. It is most commonly seen on the flop when a player who was not the pre-flop aggressor bets first.
Why was donk betting bad?
Donk betting’s reputation is not wholly unfounded. There are numerous downsides to donk betting, and most of the time, it is much better to check and act after the aggressor. Here are several reasons people refrain from donk-betting:
When you should donk bet
As the poker metagame has evolved, more pros started experimenting with donk bets. Those pros discovered that donk bets still have some niche uses. Here are a few scenarios you should consider donk betting in:
Where to practice poker
We hope this article taught you how to play poker and use the infamous donk bet. If you want to try out donk bets, you should play online on sites like GGPoker, the world’s largest poker room. Online poker has many benefits, from poker trackers to faster-paced games. GGPoker, in particular, offers a free poker tracker and a heads-up display to all their users, so if you want to play online poker, sign up at GGPoker today!