Definition of Donk Bet

What is the definition of a "donkbet" in poker? What is meant by the term "donk bet" in poker?

In poker, a "donk bet" is an out-of-position bet, usually small in size, that is made post-flop by a player that is usually:

1) inferior in skill
2) not the pre-flop aggressor

For instance, let's say that a player in a $1/$2 cash game in early position raises pre-flop to $10. Everybody folds around to the SB, who decides to call, as does the BB. There are now three players in the hand.

After the flop, the SB checks and the BB quickly throws out a $2 bet. Let's say that the flop brought 8c-Js-3s. In this case, the BB may have something like J-9 and is wanting to bet his top pair. The other two players have ascertained that the BB is an inferior player, and they also quickly realize that he caught at least a piece of the flop. The BB has bet small and is out of position, meaning that this qualifies as a "donk bet".

Unfortunately for the BB, the pre-flop aggressor flopped a set of Eights. The pre-flop aggressor raises after the donk bet, the SB folds and the BB calls. The BB ends up losing quite a bit on the hand thanks to his post-flop "donk bet" and lack of skill. The BB felt that folding after the donk bet would be embarrassing, so he elected to call and lost much more on the hand that he initially planned.

The "donk" in "donk bet" refers to "donkey", which is somebody that is seen as having a lack of skill in poker.

"Donk bets", though, can be used by skilled players to confuse their opponents. For instance, in the hand mentioned above, if the BB had flopped a set of Threes, he may have wanted to trick his opponents by "donk betting" after the flop in order to feign that he was attempting to protect a decent, but not dominant, hand. This may have induced a raise from the pre-flop aggressor and resulted in the BB getting paid off.

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