The donk bet was traditionally taboo, but modern solvers show there are situations where it's the correct play.
A donk bet is when the preflop caller bets into the preflop raiser on the flop or turn.
Traditionally taught as "never do this," modern solvers show that donk betting is correct on certain boards.
7♠6♣4♥ = low connected board
BB range: 76, 65, 54, 75, sets (77, 66, 44), many open-ended straight draws
BTN range: overpairs (TT–AA), AK, AQ, etc. — poor fit on this board
BB has range + nut advantage → donk betting is correct
Sizing: 25–33% (small) — betting with a wide range
Board: 4♠4♦9♣
BB holds more hands containing a 4 (44, 43s, 42s, etc.). BTN almost never opens these low hands.
Donk bets are almost always small: 25–33% pot
| Size | Reason |
|---|---|
| 25–33% | Allows betting a wide range; small loss if raised |
| 50%+ | Rarely used — check-raising is more efficient |
| Board | Reason |
|---|---|
| A♠K♦7♣ (high dry) | PFR (raiser) has an overwhelming range advantage |
| K♠Q♥J♦ (high connected) | PFR has many nut hands: AK, KQ, QJ, AQ, etc. |
| A♠A♦5♣ (paired aces) | PFR holds far more Ax combinations |
Source: GTO Wizard Blog, Upswing Poker
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