What to do against polarised donkers
Recently played a HG tourney with a big stack player who was constantly donking, both multi-way and HU. Often it turned out to be air, and as a result I started raising as an exploit, to a good level of success. Then this happens

5 handed final table 3 make the money
I raise CO (40bb) deep with A6o,
SB (Donker) calls (120bb)
Bb calls (50 bb)

Flop T93r

Sb bets roughly half pot (standard sizing for him)
BB folds
I raise 3x
SB min 3 bets
I min 4 bet
Sb calls (roughly 45bb pot)

Turn 6 (rainbow board)

Sb checks,
I jam,
Sb calls with QTo
River doesn’t Improve, I bust (like a donkey)

I also rail for a little bit afterwards, and this guy is showing basically every hand, and I notice that he also donks top pair and better, but never a draw/marginal.

Obviously the play was a punt (although based on a read), however what is the strategy against a player who constantly donks with either complete air or with it? Is it raise and fold to the 3 bet or play as though he were c betting?

Apologies for the poor quality post. Thanks

What on earth did I just read here. A6 o sucks as a hand and probably should just fold ore especially with some guy in the blinds who’s prolly never folding
On the flop you have no hand no draw no nothing why do you want to put $ into the pot? Because you had a read? This hand doesn’t want to put one extra dollar in.
Simple poker strategy for you. Try to have something good that can have some chance of a win at showdown when you decide to put your $ in the pot.

Oh I’m well aware and would never do this as a baseline strategy, thing is he was donking basically every pot (and often when he wasn’t donking it was with a marginal/draw),and I had done similar things before to success (learnt about combatting players donking junk from poker coaching). Had I never met the player before, snap fold for SURE.

Yeah so I'd probably listen hard to lolposting and learn some real basics. Fold pre and especially considering your read that the sb is going to get involved and make your life difficult a more than usual % of the time. Forget your incomplete reads post, fold with no hand or semblance of a decent draw and wait for a good spot. Watch more RIO Elite and less Charlie Carrel

I have mixed feelings about playing A6o pre-flop. I often don't. It really depends on the players in the blinds. Will they fold often enough so the steal works? There are some villains who will call a lot pre-flop but then fold everything they miss on the flop.

In this case you know you are getting called a lot and then donked on. So I would let it go pre-flop.

As played its an easy fold on the flop. You know you are never ahead of draws because Villain never bets with them, and you would be ahead of all draws. There aren't a lot of hands that are air here that aren't draws that Villain is likely to call a raise with in the SB pre-flop. And the ones that are include AJ+ which are ahead and may donk the turn.

For future hands with Villains like this it would be good to know what they do on the turn with their air. Does he always check? Does he always donk again? This matters because it might be worth calling the flop with decent air (like AJ+ in this hand) if he always/often checks the turn with air.

Don't think A6o quite gets there at equilibrium but don't have my charts in front of me. I think A8o is the first Arag that opens from the CO but yeah all for widening if the situation warrants it. This situation doesn't

This is genuinely baffling, all the range charts i have have A6o as a clear open, even A5o i have as an open on the CO with 40 blinds, i would have thought A8o as the lowest hand in the CO was WAAYYYYy too nitty. Just checked it on a solver for 9 max aswell, it agrees with me. Why should i fold it? Also fun fact, i didnt get it from charlie carrell, it was actually J little aha

A6o is 90% open in my solutions, unless btn/blinds are agro I'm opening every time. That being said the EV of opening A6o from CO is 0 so I don't think you're wrong to fold especially if good/active players behind.

If you have a solid read that villain is donking top pair and total air so that his range is very polarized and tilting towards air, then raising with air -especially with no showdown value- isn't a bad play. It's much preferable that you do have some backdoor equity when you do so however.

As long as your read is really solid, raising with A6o isn't the worst play in the world. Since A6 might have some showdown value and doesn't have any equity if called, it might be better to call. But you need to know that Villain gives up his air on the turn, otherwise you should fold, because your hand cannot withstand any further pressure.

When Villain reraises you, Villain isn't bsing, he has something and you should be done with the hand.

I do have to note that IME, when recreational players donk they have connected in some way with the board, either with a made hand or a draw. The adjustment here is easy. You attack them when they check.

My bad - I have A6o as a 50% open from CO at 40-50bb and 10% open 60bb+. A7o is a pure open at any of the depths mentioned so I guess I'm a nit. A5o is also an open which actually I knew and should have clarified, but yeah I'm gonna continue to fold A6o unless I have reads that the bu/blinds are passive

It's also worth mentioning that a huge portion of hands that SB is likely to call with here are going to contain a T, ie the broadways and T8s type combos that are too weak to 3b

IMO:

1) Pre flop raise with A6o: marginal, but ok.
2) Flop 3x bet: not ideal. Probably need to fold, or float, or raise a bit more with the intention of giving up if you get any resistance (in that order of preference)
3) Flop min 4-bet: Serves no purpose other than to bloat the pot and make a future bluff even less effective. Not really sure what you (or the villain) were thinking with this leveling war here
4) River shove: suicidal. i think you were betting less than half the pot. You have very little fold equity here... especially against a much bigger stack.

Anyhow, to answer your original question, I think its best to play small-ball against a polarized donker. Especially one who has you out-chipped. You bloated the pot several times unecessarily.

Also trying to classify this “polarized donking” I mean the dude is just clicking buttons and has no idea what his strategy even is.
The best way to beat ******s is to just play good starting hands and continue putting $ in when you have good hands good equity and let him do a bunch of dumb **** and give his $ away to you.
Basically the reverse of this button clicking war between two clickers who want to see who can lose their $ the fastest

iconic post, keep up the A game