What style should you use in poker when there's a lot of donkey players at your table?

Question

I was playing in a home game tournament with about 7 people, no limit hold em. I'd say 4 of those players were pretty much donkeys. They'd call with any two cards, especially if they had a face card or an ace. Should I have approached the table aggressively or super tight??? I would get called with almost any amount I put out and get called even if odds were completely in my favor and get busted because they get lucky. What approach shoudl one take with this kind of table???????

Answer 1

use your position to be aggressive. If you are on the button and it's checked to you, then it's likely that no one has anything and you can steal most pots. You can also wait for a big hand and bust someone. But basically, you want the donks to make a mistake, whether it be with them over valuing a hand , or them thinking they have the nuts when you actually do. So to sum up, use your position and wait for them to make a big mistake. Good luck.

Answer 2

I've heard people say that loosen up when the table is loose. I disagree. I play in a LOT of cash games, and some tourneys, and when faced with loose, inferior players, I like to play tight-aggressive, meaning wait for 2 live cards, then make your move. Especially be aggressive on mid-level suited connectors. Most donkeys start to salivate when they see a K-9 offsuit, but you have a much better drawing hand with, say a 6-7 suited. Good luck!

P.S. Don't slowplay good cards with a bunch of donkeys at the table. It greatly raises the chance that you'll get sucked out by a poor starting hand.

Answer 3

If they're calling a lot but not raising a lot, get involved with suited connectors and low pocket pairs. These are golden if you are with people that will call postflop with crap against straights/flushes/sets.

If they're calling with bad hands regardless of your raise, be sure to raise your good hands higher than you would normally. I know it feels like you're setting yourself up to be drawn out on, but you need to focus on your expected value. You may be drawn out on, but you need to do what will give you the best chance of winning chips in the long term.

Overall your play should be tighter, particularly in situations where stealing blinds are a significant part of your evaluation. It seems less likely in this game. However, if they're insta-folding if they whiff the flop, it can still be useful.

Long story short, even with these pointers we don't have enough information. It depends on the situation, what position the donkeys are in on the specific hand, how many people are left, the prize structure, etc.

Biggest advice: ignore the bad beats and focus on plays with the highest EV. Bad beats happen. Once you learn to stop thinking "I'm going to get bad beat here" you'll be able to think clearer.