Hand from 1/2, $500 max in Texas (where players are apparently wilder)

V is a MABG who walked in at 10 am to sit at the overnight table and bought in for $500

He won a hand exactly in similar positions last orbit vs me where he opened $15 UTG, and called my $50 3b from UTG1 (QQ) and overbet $200 on K53ssx and I folded.

Main hand: $700 eff

He limps UTG, I bump it to $20 UTG1 with
A♠️K❤️, only he calls

Flop ($40): A♦️6♣️2♦️
He snap donks $45, I call

Turn ($130): 7♠️
He snap bets $150, I (???) call

River ($430): 5♦️
He snap bets $300, ???

This entire line made no sense to me, but is this always some sort of 2p or 66/22 that old guys blast away because they don’t like to get outdrawn on?

I call and expect to win less than 50% but greater than 30% of the time on this runout.

I think calling the over bet is close in the QQ hand too.

I think it’s AK a lot, no?

It’s effectively a $450 call in a $100 pot because he’s shoving the remaining $250ish on all turns.

Smells like a set or two pair as played. Flushes are also in play? This is a fold vs villain type imo.

Not re-raising the flop is questionable? Not to nit pick but you’re in position on a draw heavy board with TPTK on the flop.

Yeah should have def raise/folded flop.

There's a reason it's called a "donk" bet.

Remember being a noob / bad player, limping in from EP with all sorts of trash, and flopping a monster on an ace-high board? Did you donk-over-bet pot, or go for a check-raise?

This smells like a noob / rec-fish, thinking he's going to make up for a lack of skill with an abundance of aggression.

If he donked small, I'd think he had a weak AX or was trying to set his own price to draw. If it was multi-way and he donked huge into a late position PFR, I'd be more likely to give him credit for thick value. If he was really trying to protect a big hand, he'd jam turn after you call the flop.

Here, donking huge with thick value, thin value, or a draw just doesn't make any sense. He's making it easy for us to play perfectly. Don't over-think it. Just flat call the flop, and rip it in his face on the brick turn.

If he's taking this line in lots of hands, and you're uncomfortable with the potential variance, take back the lead and control over the pot by raising flop. Even if you min-click it, he's unlikely to 3B you, and will very likely check to you on future streets. Even if he does 3B the flop or check-raise the turn, again, he's making it easy for us to play perfectly.

With these bet sizes you have to call with half your range on the flop, half on the turn and a bit more than half on the river as he doesn't bet pot.

So what is your pre flop range? Ak aq ajs ATs and some pocket pairs like TT plus? And maybe some other stuff like suited connectors? Perhaps not after he called utg

So let's say you continue with the aces and fold the rest basically

Then on the turn you have to fold half your aces which leaves like ak and maybe Aq with the QD. Then on the river we fold aq and some ak. So we can with AKd and maybe flip a coin and call with half of the rest of the ak? So I think here you have to sometimes fold and sometimes call.

He can have sets or flush or A6 I guess. We are actually only beating bluffs so it's a tough one especially as some bluffs got there!

Horrible spot.

I don't think raising earlier makes sense you want him to bluff. He's setting a terrible price for a draw too.

Interested in results

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As doc pointed out these donkbets are all the same; recfish trying to "see where he's at" and since your call doesnt tell him much he's just going to keep doing it because he doesnt know what else to do with whatever he has. Except instead of jamming I probably prefer to call if he's going to continue betting like this, I dont want him folding A3o or JJ on the turn. He's very clearly valuebluffing so let him valueown himself.

There are situations where donk bets can be to protect a vulnerable two-pair. I'm not saying this is one of those situations, particularly as it's A62 and villain limped-called from utg, so really only A2 and A6 are in villain's range, which aren't too vulnerable. One element of this donk on the flop is the 110% sizing (donk bets are often less than 50% where villain has weak top pair, middle pair or a draw), which suggests protection, but could also be lack of awareness of pot-size. My tendency here would be to not overthink this too much, though, so call flop, call (possibly shove) turn, call river. Spot would be interesting if you had JJ-KK.

I had a similar spot to this hand recently, and I felt stuck as V is basically an un-rangeable maniac, potentially bombing 3 streets with anything (of course he is rangeable, if I had more hours with him, but I don't)

I do think MDF is the most helpful approach in these spots. You don't need to range him, just range yourself and buckle up for the variance