Alright, how many of us have been beaten out by a donk? I think if everyone in the forum actually answered that, it would be the biggest thread ever. So I got to thinking, if it's donks that win, then a donk I shall become. Now, being a donk, I am not yet confident enough in my game to play for my own real money, so I decided to enter a private $100 online poker freeroll. I knew if I wanted to do well, I'd have to forget all my knowledge of poker, and play as a true donk would.

First hand of the freeroll tournament, I get dealt Q-2 off. What do I do? Raise. I make it 8x the big blind to call, and get 2 callers. The flop: Q- K_5 and I pushed. The 2 people both end up calling, one flips over A-K, the other flips over J-J (what a donk!) The turn was a 6, I was getting ready to close the window, but then, the river came. It was a 2. I had made two pair with my Q-2, putting me in the lead with 4500 chips. Few hands pass, I grow weary, and then it happens. I get dealt the hammer, that's right, 7-2 off. I was in dealer position, and there was a raise from early position to 340 chips. There were 4 callers when the action came round to me, and then I realized my tremendous pot odds. So I call, the flop comes 7-6-3. I hesitated, but checked with the others, and the turn came a 3. I then figured tat it was time to make a move, I bet the minimum. Everyone called but one, and the river is dealt, and it is a 2.  I got 7s and 2s, but then I realized there was a pair of 3's on the board. I decided the best move was to push, and that is exactly what I did. I got called with A-K and this brings me up to about 9000 in chips.

I am now up to a big lead, thanks to my smart decision making calls, and natural poker abilities. But I knew that if I wanted to get anywhere, I was going to have to keep playing the way I was. So I was card dead for a bit and was down to about 7000. I was dealt 8-3 clubs in the dealer, I decided to click on Last Hand button, and notice that for the past 10 or so hands, there were not a lot of clubs on the flop. So, some clubs are due for me, so I just limped in. And what do you know, the flop comes 2 clubs, 10-9-2. Checks are all around to me, and I figure I will beef up the pot a little bit, and bet the min. We get a few callers, and the turn is a club. One guy moved all in and I immediately requested time to ponder if he has a higher flush than me. I decide to call, and he flips over his 10-10. So now, I am at 14,000, and have the image of a rock at the table. Nothing big really happens until there are about 30 players left when I am dealt K-K. I thought “hey, I gotta get those weak aces out of the hand”, so I moved all my poker chips in, unfortunately there was some donk at my table who had about 20,000 in chips, and called me with A-10. An Ace came on the flop before and it was all over. I peeked my eyes open hoping to see a king, but nothing came and I that was all for me.

I was speechless, I kept asking myself, where did I go wrong? I couldn’t think of an answer, until I realized that my biggest mistake was playing the donk style and then moving to a more logical play style when I got a good hand. In my mind I thought that moving all in with pocket kings was the right decision, but in the end I was busted by a dunk and walked out with 34 cents. So overall, using no strategy can be effective sometimes, so if you run out of tricks, give the donk strategy a try and see if it works for you.