Poker Term Donkey
- Poker Term Donkey Song
- Poker Term Donkey Jack
- Poker Term Donkey
- Poker Term Donkey Island
- Poker Term Donkey
- Poker Term Donkey Side
- Poker Term Donkeys
Donk Betting is a term that is often misused or misunderstood. The term does not mean the player making the bet is a donk, or that they’ve done something donkey-like. In this article we are going to define what it is and talk about some situations where one might wish to use this play.
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- In poker terms, a donkey is a derogatory term for a poor or inexperienced player who calls or raises despite the hand, position, flop, or odds. Strategy Part 1: The Study of Tactics in Poker Beating 6 Max No Limit Holdem by Sauce123 Spenda’s 5 Biggest Leaks of a Losing NL Player – Leak 1.
Donk Betting Defined:
Donk definition is - donkey. You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. Donkey Dodgers Poker. Southern New England’s most innovative pub poker tour.Donkey Dodgers Poker brings fun back to the bar poker scene. Players have consistently demanded bigger.
‘A donk bet is a bet that is made into the aggressor from the prior betting round, denying them an opportunity to make a continuation bet’.
So for example, a player in middle position opens for a raise, the button, and the big blind calls. On the flop, the most common action for the big blind is to “check to the raiser”, allowing them an opportunity to c-bet (continue their betting lead in the hand) or check. If, however, the big blind leads right out into the preflop raiser, that by definition is a donk bet. It’s important to note, this bet is only when there is a continuation bet opportunity that the bettor is denying by “donking out” (donk betting) into the prior street’s aggressor.
If the pot is limped preflop, any flop bet is simply referred to as a lead (taking the betting lead), not a donk bet as there is no player who has seized the betting lead preflop with a raise. If the flop is checked around, a turn bet is, again, a lead… not a donk bet. If the aggressor from the prior street fails to continuation bet, any future bet is not a donk bet, just a lead. In the example above, if the big blind “checks to the raiser”, the preflop raiser checks, and the button now bets, they are not donk betting as the PFR already had an opportunity to c-bet and simply failed to do so.
In short, any time there is an aggressor from the prior street, and they are denied an opportunity to continue their aggressive lead in the hand by being bet into on the current street, that’s a donk bet.
Now that we are clear on what donk betting is, let’s talk about some situations one might wish to use a donk bet.
- When the PFR (pre-flop raiser) isn’t expected to C-bet.
- When our hand is at its apex of strength.
- When many future cards will freeze action.
- When we want to trap players in multiway pots.
Poker Term Donkey Song
Example 1
Say we have been raised from MP and defend our big blind with JTo. The flop comes T87. This is a texture that the preflop raiser may not c-bet frequently as it interacts well with many hands in the caller’s range. If the opponent is a low-frequency c-bettor to begin with, or reasonably savvy, you can expect them to check back this texture a lot and take free cards with AK/AQ/KQ/99 and the like. Adopting a donking bet strategy here will serve to deny equity to these hands. Additionally, with the gut shot component along with our pair, a donk bet is resilient to a flop raise, so you can continue vs. all but the most outrageous sizing’s should you be raised. Here conditions 1 and 3 are met.
Example 2
There’s a preflop raise and we defend our BB with 66. The flop comes 732. The standard line is to check/call, but this is a nice spot to consider a donk bet. If we do check and the preflop raiser checks behind us they are benefiting from a free card. Additionally, our hand strength is going to stay the same or get worse on most run outs… it’s just about as strong as it’s going to be right now. Our hand is clearly too strong to fold to a single continuation bet, but it’s not really strong enough to check/raise, and check/calling can get awkward on the turn as if we check again and the villain checks behind us, they get to realize their equity against us. If we do check/call flop, consider donking the turn to prevent high cards from realizing that equity.
Example 3
There are 3 limpers, and the button raises. We call from the big blind with 6♥5♥ and all 3 limpers call. The flop comes 10♥7♥2♥ . This is a great spot to consider leading out with a donk bet. We have 3 weaker players between us and the preflop raiser who we may be able to trap for a flop call before the preflop raiser potentially raises, which they may do with a big heart or overpair to “protect their hand”. Our hand is literally at the apex of its strength, and a 4th heart coming will freeze the action, if it doesn’t beat us. Additionally, should everyone check to the raiser, they may opt to check behind with some unpaired misses, allowing the entire field a free card for that 4th heart. All four conditions are met in this example.
Donk betting is a largely misunderstood and woefully underutilized tool, but it has valid applications and can be a powerful added weapon in your arsenal. Hands that don’t really fit well into any other range may be great candidates for a donk bet. That is hands that aren’t really good enough to check/call or are awkward to do so, not quite strong enough to check/raise, but a bit too strong to check/fold. If your hand seems to not fit well anywhere else, and some of the criteria above are met, you have a prime donk betting situation to take advantage of.
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The below gives explanations for the most popular examples of poker terminology. The Glossary is designed for you to use to check what all the various poker terms mean. Poker is a game that uses a lot of jargon, but you will quickly get used to the language.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Action
Making, or calling, a bet or raise. i.e. “giving action”.
All-in
When a player is all-in, they have bet all of their remaining chips, and can take no further active part in future betting rounds.
Angle/Angle Shooting
Attempting to manipulate the action or other players decisions through questionable or illegal behavior. Cheating.
Ante
Poker games like Stud are played with an ante; a forced bet that every player has to post before each round of betting. Antes are also introduced in the later levels of some No-Limit Hold’em tournaments.
B
Bad Beat
Losing a hand after getting action as an overwhelming favourite.
Backdoor Draw
A draw that requires two cards to complete, i.e. a flop with one heart when you hold two hearts in your hand.
Badugi
(1) Badugi is a relatively new type of poker game originally from Asia. Each player gets four cards, and there are three draws. The player with the lowest hand wins the pot.
(2) Four cards of different suits that don’t form a pair is a hand known as a Badugi.
Bankroll
Refers to the amount of money you have available solely for playing poker.
Barrel
To continue betting on future streets post flop after taking the betting lead on the current street.
Bet
The first bet made in a round of betting. If this bet is increased later in the same betting round, this is known as a raise.
Big Stack
A player who has a lot of chips.
Blind
A forced bet which has to be posted before each hand. The player to the left of the dealer posts the small blind, while the player two places left of the dealer posts the big blind. As a rule the big blind is twice the size of the small blind.
Blind Level
Describes the size of the forced blind bets in the current stage of a tournament. The size of the blinds increases with each new level.
Blind Stealing
A raise before the flop with a weak hand, with the aim of forcing all opponents to fold, and therefore winning the blinds. Works best from late position if all players have folded so far.
Bluff
When a player bets and/or raises without having a good hand, to try and make their opponent fold the better hand.
Bluff Catcher
A hand that is not strong enough to beat an opponent who is betting for value with a made hand, but only an opponent who is bluffing.
Board
The five community cards in the middle of the table in poker games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha.
Boat
(slang) A full house.
Break-even
To break-even means that neither a loss nor a profit has been made.
Bubble
Describes any significant threshold in a tournament. The most common tournament bubbles are the initial money bubble, and the final table bubble.
Bubbleboy
The player in a tournament eliminated directly before the paid places are reached, therefore going away empty-handed.
Burncard
The card that gets discarded by the dealer before the community cards are dealt, in order to prevent cheating.
Busted/Bust-out
When you are eliminated from a tournament after losing all your chips
Button
(1) A plastic disc which is passed clockwise each hand to determine the position of the nominal dealer.
(2) Named used to describe the nominal dealer in the current hand.
Buy-in
The amount of money players have to pay to enter a tournament. Most of this money goes into the prize pool, except for a small entry fee retained by the card room (also see rake).
Bring-in
A forced bet in Stud, which has to be placed by the player with the lowest open card.
Broadway
(1) Name of the highest-possible straight in poker, for e.g. Tc-Jc-Qh-Kd-As.
(2) A single card (T-x or higher) is also often called broadway or a broadway card.
C
Call
Calling means you are matching the last bet made.
Cap
The fourth and last possible raise in a fixed limit game.
Cash Game
Poker played for real money, with blind levels that stay the same. Players can come and go as they please, and buy new chips anytime they want.
Calling Station
A player who plays many hands in a very loose way. They will call often, but rarely raise or fold.
Check
If no bets have been made, a player has the option to check, i.e. stay in the hand without putting any more chips into the pot.
Check-Call
To check and then call an opponent’s bet.
Check-Raise
To check and then raise an opponent’s bet.
Chipleader
The player with the largest amount of chips in a tournament.
Community Cards
The five cards dealt face up in the center of the table, which can be used by all players.
Complete
(1) Hold’em: To call preflop from the small blind if no bets have been placed.
(2) Stud: The first raise in the first betting round.
Connector
Two or more connected cards, for e.g. 6c-5s. Connected cards of the same suit are called suited connectors (6s-5s for instance).
Continuation Bet
A bet made on the flop by the last player who raised preflop. Also known as a C-bet.
Cold Deck
When a very strong hand is beaten by a player who improves their hand on the board.
Cut-off
The player seated to the right of the dealer. A strong position to be in, because you are one of the last to act on every round of betting.
D
Dead Money
Money in a pot which comes from players who have already folded, and therefore cannot participate in the hand any longer.
Dealer
(1) Live games: the person who deals the cards, sorts out the pot and watches over the game.
(2) Online: the position of the nominal dealer, marked by a dealer button, which is passed on clockwise.
Defending the Blinds
When a player is in one of the blinds and plays to try and enusre they keep their chips by winning the pot.
Dominated Hand
If two players hold a card of the same rank, the player with the better kicker is said to dominate their opponent. For e.g. If Player A holds Kc-As, they dominate Player B who holds Kd-Qd.
Donk Bet
The term used for a bet that is made into the aggressor from the prior street, instead of checking to them.
Door Card
The first open card dealt in Stud poker games.
Downswing
A run of bad luck which can often make players start playing bad.
Draw
A poker hand which needs additional cards to improve or complete.
Double Suited
Omaha starting hand that includes two times two cards of the same suit (for e.g. As-Kd-Jd-9s).
E
Equity
The winning odds multiplied by the pot size. For e.g. if you have a winning chance of 40% and there is $10 in the pot, your equity is $4.
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F
Feeler Bet
A small to medium sized bet to made to gauge your opponents reactions. Also known as a probe bet.
Final Table
The last table in a tournament, usually played nine or ten handed, and where the biggest cash prizes are paid.
Fish
A very bad or inexperienced poker player.
Floorman
The floorman is a casino employee who mediates between players and solves disputes between them or the dealer. The floorman has more power than the dealer
Flop
The first three community cards dealt in flop games like Hold’em or Omaha.
Poker Term Donkey Jack
Flush
A combination of five cards of the same suit, for e.g. As-Qs-Ts-6s-3s.
Flush Draw
When a player has a combination of four cards of the same suit, with only one more card of this suit missing to complete the flush.
Fold
To discard your cards and place them into the muck. A player who folds is no longer in the hand and can win no part of the pot.
Fold Equity
The probability that one or all players will fold behind you.
Four Bet (4B)
Re-raising. The initial wager is a bet, the first raise is the 2nd bet, a re-raise is the 3rd bet, and another re-raise is the 4th bet.
Free Play
Chance to see the next community cards without having to place a bet.
Freeroll
(1) Chance to make profit without risk (for e.g. without having to invest money).
(2) A free-to-enter tournament with no buy-in.
Full House
A poker hand consisting of three of a kind and another pair.
Full Ring
A cash game table with nine or ten players. Opposite of shorthanded.
G
Gutshot
An unfinished straight with an inside card needed to complete. For e.g. a player has Ah-2s and the board shows Td-4s-5c. In this case, a 3x would complete the straight.
H
Hand
(1) Part of the game in which cards are dealt, chips are bet and the pot is won. After that, the button is moved to the left in games like Texas Hold’em, and the next hand begins.
(2) The best five card combination made using the hole cards and the community cards.
Heads-up
A hand or game with only two players.
High Card
The lowest poker hand, with less value than a pair.
High Roller
(1) A player who plays for high stakes.
(2) A tournament with a very high buy in.
Hold’em
Short name for Texas Hold’em Poker.
Hole Cards
The cards each player gets dealt face down in the beginning of a hand. Using these and the community cards, a player can assemble the best possible five card combination.
I
Implied Odds
Calculation of odds in relation to the estimated final size of the pot. Consequently, expected profits will be added on to the odds. For e.g. you have an open-ended straight draw on the turn and get pot odds of 4,5:1. If you expect to hit and to gain another big bet on the river, you will have implied odds of 5,5:1.
J
Jam
(slang) To bet or raise all in.
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K
Kicker
The side card one holds along with a pair. For e.g. if your hole cards are As-5s and the board shows 4c-5h-3c-Js-4h, you have two pair with an ace kicker. In such cases where two players hold the same hand rank, the higher kicker decides which player wins the hand.
L
Lay-down
To fold your hand.
Limit
(1) Short for Fixed Limit”, which means that all minimum and maximum betting intervals are fixed at all times.
(2) The size of the blinds or the maximum buy-in which indicates the amount of money played for. Can also refer to No-Limit or Pot-Limit” games.
Limp/Limper
A preflop action in which the big blind is just called instead of raised
Live Cards
Refers to cards that haven’t been opened yet and are possibly still in the card deck.
Low Card
A card that can form part of a qualifying low hand games like Stud Hi-Lo and Omaha Hi-Lo.
M
Poker Term Donkey
Made Hand
A complete hand with very little potential for improvement.
Marginal Hand
A mediocre or medium strength holding. When referring to starting hole cards, a weak starting hand.
Monotone
(1) Starting hand in Omaha, with all four cards of the same suit.
(2) A board where all cards are the same suit.
N
Nose bleeds
A reference to the highest stakes available. Also nose bleed stakes.
Nuts
The best possible hand in a given situation.
O
Odds
A form of presenting probabilities. The probability of making a hand is set in relation to the probability of not making a hand. For e.g. if you win with a probability of 20%, you will lose with a probability of 80%. The odds are therefore 80:20 or 4:1.
Offsuit
Two cards of different suits.
Omaha
A poker game played with four hole cards. Two of the hole cards and three community cards must be used to form a hand. Apart from that, the rules of the game are identical to Texas Hold’em.
Open Pair
A pair lying openly on the board
Option
The choice of the player in the big blind to either check or raise, providing there have been no raises before them.
Out of Position (OOP)
You are out of position when you are one of the first to act in a betting round.
Overcard
A card higher than the highest card on the board. For example, when dealt on a board, the ace is an overcard but the ten is not.
Overpair
A pocket pair which is higher than all of the community cards on the board.
P
Pocket Cards
Two face down cards each player gets dealt in the beginning of a Texas Hold’em game. Also called Hole cards.
Pocket Pair
Two cards of the same rank, dealt as a starting hand.
Poker Tracker
Software which tracks the hands you have played, enabling you to monitor your play and that of your opponents, and perform detailed analysis on your hands at a later time.
Position
Refers to a player’s seat in relation to the dealer. The further away you are from the dealer, the better your position is, because you will act later in each betting round – a big advantage that lets you evaluate your opponents’ betting patterns. The positions in detail:
• Blinds: The two players to the left of the dealer are called Small Blind and Big Blind. These are by far the worst positions in the game because you have to act first in any betting round except pre-flop and you are forced to put money in the pot before looking at your cards.
• Late position (LP): the dealer (usually called the ‘button’) and the ‘cut-off’ to the immediate right of the dealer are sitting in late position. This is the best position you can be in.
• Middle position (MP): the three players on the right hand side of the cut-off are in middle position.
• Early position (EP): the two players to the right of the middle position players are in early position. They act first pre-flop and after the blinds in all the other betting rounds. The first player to act pre-flop is often also called ‘under the gun’ (UTG).
If there are fewer than nine players at the table, disregard early positions. If there are only five players for example, there are two blinds, two late position players and one person in middle position.
Pot-Limit
In a pot-Limit game, a player may only bet up to the size of the total pot when it’s their turn. The most popular Pot-Limit form of poker is Pot-Limit Omaha, but you can also play Hold’em and draw poker as Pot-Limit.
Pot Odds
The current amount of money in the pot compared to the amount you have to put into the pot to be able to continue playing. The greater the pot odds, the better.
Post-flop
Play on the flop and in subsequent betting rounds.
Pre-flop
Play that takes place before the flop in flop games like hold’em or Omaha.
Probe Bet
A small to medium sized bet to made to gauge your opponents reactions. Also known as a feeler bet.
Q R
Quads
(slang) The hand rank of four of a kind.
Rainbow
(1) Hold’em: A flop or turn is described as rainbow when all three or four cards are of different suits.
(2) Omaha: A starting hand consisting of cards with all four different suits.
Raise
To increase the amount of the previous bet.
Poker Term Donkey Island
Rake
Money or percentage a poker room claims from each pot, or from the entry fee in a tournament.
Range
All hands that an opponent might possibly hold at a certain point in time.
Reverse Domination
In Hold’em, you are dominated if an opponent holds a card of the same rank as yours, but with a better kicker. If the dominated player then hits a pair with the lower kicker, it’s known as reversed domination.
Reverse Implied Odds
To calculate implied odds, potential profits are added to the pot. Reversed implied odds refer to how much a player expects to lose on later betting rounds. The loss is subtracted from the pot when calculating the odds.
Rip
(slang) To bet or raise all in.
River
The fifth and last community card.
Royal Flush
The best possible hand in poker – an ace-high straight flush. For e.g. As-Ks-Qs-Js-Ts.
Runner-Runner
An incomplete poker hand where additional cards are needed on both the turn and river to compete, e.g. if you hold two hearts and the flop contains one, you have a runner-runner draw to a heart flush.
Runner-up
The second place finisher in a tournament.
S
Satellite
A tournament with a moderate buy-in, where the prize is a seat in a bigger tournament.
Seat
Seat at the table that a player gets assigned to.
Second Barrel
A second bet on the turn after a flop bet. Correspondingly, a third barrel is a third bet on the river.
Semi-bluff
A semi-bluff is a bet or a raise with a hand that is not the best, but has a reasonable chance of improving up to the river (for e.g. a flush draw). The goal is to make all opponents fold. If this doesn’t work out, there is still a chance of winning if the hand improves.
Set
Three of a kind consisting of a pocket pair and one community card.
Shark
Very good player who makes some profit; opposite of fish
Shorthanded
Poker with only three to six players. Opposite of full ring.
Shortstack
A player with a small stack in a tournament.
Showdown
After all betting rounds have completed, all players remaining in the hand reveal their cards to see who has made the best five card poker hand to win the pot.
Shove
To bet or raise all in.
Single-suited
Starting hand in Omaha. Two cards of the same suit, two cards of mixed suits (for e.g. Ah-Ad-Th-7s).
Slow Play
When a player acts cautious despite having a very strong hand, the aim being to deceive their opponents about the true strength of their holding.
Speculative Hand
A temporarily weak hand with potential to improve.
Split Pot
A pot which gets split between two or more players who have cards of equal value.
Stack
Amount of chips or money a player can use at the table.
Steam
To get annoyed about lost hands and play badly as a result. Also see Tilt.
Straight
Five cards in a row, for e.g. 9x-8x-7x-6x-5x.
Straight Draw
A card combination with one card missing to complete a straight. Also see Gutshot.
Straight Flush
A straight of one suit, for e.g. 9h-8h-7h-6h-5h.
Street
Betting rounds, like the Flop, Turn and River.
Stud
Poker games in which players get dealt cards face up as well as face down. Seven Card Stud and Razz are popular examples.
Suck-out
When a player is lucky and beats a superior hand. Also see Bad Beat.
Suit
Spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds.
Suited
Cards of the same suit (Spades, clubs, hearts or diamonds).
T
Table Stake
The amount that a player can bet and bring to the table in a cash game.
Third Barrel
A bet on the river after having bet on the flop and turn.
Three-Bet (3B)
A re-raise. The initial wager is a bet, the first raise is the 2nd bet, and a re-raise is the 3rd bet.
Tight
To play very few hands only, and fold all weak or marginal hands.
Tilt
To respond badly to a bad beat or downswing by letting it have an adverse affect on your game.
Trips
Three cards of the same rank, for e.g. Kh-ks-kc-7s-5c.
Turn
The fourth community card in flop games, also called fourth street.
Trash/Trash Hand
A very poor starting hand.
U
Underpair
A pocket pair which is lower than some or all of the community cards on the board. E.g. if you have QQ and the flop is K-7-3, you have an underpair to the K. With 22 you would have an underpair to the board.
Poker Term Donkey
Under the Gun
The name given to the player who acts first on the opening round of betting, left of the big blind. This is not an ideal position because you have to act very early.
Poker Term Donkey Side
Upswing
A run of good luck, but not usually as a result of skillful play.
W X Y Z
Walk
A player is given a walk when all players fold preflop to them in the big blind, and they win the pot uncontested without having to act.
Wheel
A straight with the lowest value (ace to five). It’s called the wheel because the ace is used as the lowest card in this situation.
Poker Term Donkeys
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