Hello everyone,
I'm a little confused when it comes to donk betting. From what I've read, on the flop you never want to bet into the preflop raiser, whether I hit the flop or not I'm suppose to check to the preflop aggresser....and if I have a hand I should THEN raise and if I don't fold.
What confuses me is if I have a hand that is good on the flop, but I may not want to check and run the risk of the preflop aggresser also checking and see a free card on the turn, just to outdraw me. Is it ever ok to bet out (donk bet) to protect a hand? Thanks in advance!!!

The only thing you should NEVER do when it comes to poker strategy is use words like 'suppose to' and 'never'.

General reasons to donk bet:
-flop somewhat hits the PFR perceived range but we are ahead of said range
-flop doesn't hit the PFR perceived range but we are still behind said range
-flop gives us a vulnerable made hand and PFR is unlikely to cbet

General reasons not too donk bet:
-we wiff flop completely and the PFR is unlikely to fold
-we hit flop hard and the PFR is likely to cbet

I'm sure there are dozens of other reasons to donk or no to donk. Just assign your opponent a realistic range and think of how he will react to you checking, vs you betting. I think you'll find checking is usually better than betting, but the're are more than enough possible scenario's where that isn't the case. If you end up still being unsure of the correct decision, run some simulations on Pokerstove or Cardrunners EV to help you figure out what is best and why.

Thanks so much for responding Viral25....it's very much appreciated. So from what you're saying...donk betting isn't the bad/wrong play like it maybe was a few years ago? It's actually looked at as very acceptable to bet into the preflop raiser in certain situations?