The secret to playing against donkeys.

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Foldemz

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I saw a thread earlier that was asking if it's easier to play against pros rather than donkeys. The idea behind it was that donkeys are just oblivious to everything and will be crazy, whereas pros can make good decisions and find the fold button when appropriate. There was some decent replies but I want to break down the issue in a way that's easy to understand.

One thing I want to mention that wasn't said before: Leveling.
Leveling is a poker term that is used to describe the level of skill you decide to play at. The idea behind leveling is to find out what skill level your opponent plays at and play just one level higher. You do this by constantly analyzing your opponents moves.

Think of it this way:
If you raise up and flop a boat with AK (AKK) against a donkey opponent you might check to try to induce a bet. But if you are playing against someone who actually thinks about things you might want to bet this flop. The reason is because he would know that you would Cbet 80% of the time regardless of the board texture. So a check might set off some red flags. In this case it'd be much more inconspicuous to bet. All because we know what level our opponent thinks on.

The fact is it's much easier to play against donkeys. They make tons of mistakes that you can capitalize on. It's often said that if you can't beat donkeys then you are the donkey.

I have been playing freerolls for fun lately and let me tell you it doesn't get any more donk-a-rific than that. These people only see their 2 cards. They don't care about the board, they don't care about analyzing peoples moves or anything like that. They just open shove pocket AA or will jam the nuts on the flop because they don't understand how to extract value properly. It's absolutely insane. How do you counter that? Leveling. I know how they are playing and I exploit it.

Yes.. they'll do dumb things and will knock you out from time to time. However, if you can adapt to it then there is plenty of money to be made. And we're not talking about a sample size of 1 or 2. If you have the skill, you have the edge. It will show in the long run.
 
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rhombus

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another secret Value bet them and dont pay them off

A pro who is a good reader of the game wont pay you off on your value bets, but will extract money from you in a more subtle way than the donkey

or Win the Max when they have it, Lose the Min when you have it
 
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vwls

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This is a very good post, and I agree with you. I see a lot of people blaming the competition for their own inability to find success. This is a very common sentiment, and so many people latch onto that type of thinking, seemingly as a way to justify their irrational mindset. I prefer to bite my tongue in most situations, since I am a beginning poker player, but I truly feel that you are correct, particularly when you say, "The fact is it's much easier to play against donkeys. They make tons of mistakes that you can capitalize on. It's often said that if you can't beat donkeys then you are the donkey." I don't understand how so many people fail to understand some of the concepts that you have so simply presented in your post. I appreciate your sensible perspective.

EDIT: Not only that, but your explanation of leveling is something that I wasn't familiar with before, at least not in the specific way that you have described it. The basic line of thought is to "adjust to your opponents". I have seen this spelled out as "play tighter than your opponent" or "be the tightest person at the table", but one size does not fit every situation. I like the idea of leveling. It is something that may already occur subconsciously, but having it conceptualized in this way makes it easier to deliberately incorporate it into play.
 
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Foldemz

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This is a very good post, and I agree with you. I see a lot of people blaming the competition for their own inability to find success. This is a very common sentiment, and so many people latch onto that type of thinking, seemingly as a way to justify their irrational mindset. I prefer to bite my tongue in most situations, since I am a beginning poker player, but I truly feel that you are correct, particularly when you say, "The fact is it's much easier to play against donkeys. They make tons of mistakes that you can capitalize on. It's often said that if you can't beat donkeys then you are the donkey." I don't understand how so many people fail to understand some of the concepts that you have so simply presented in your post. I appreciate your sensible perspective.

EDIT: Not only that, but your explanation of leveling is something that I wasn't familiar with before, at least not in the specific way that you have described it. The basic line of thought is to "adjust to your opponents". I have seen this spelled out as "play tighter than your opponent" or "be the tightest person at the table", but one size does not fit every situation. I like the idea of leveling. It is something that may already occur subconsciously, but having it conceptualized in this way makes it easier to deliberately incorporate it into play.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm just glad I could contribute, and if it helps at least one person then I'm happy.

If anyone wants to talk about hand histories or anything you can shoot me a PM.
 
99TERRANCE99

99TERRANCE99

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wait and be patient ,but dont be just bossed around either and let them steal hand after hand
 
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