What do we think of SB's play in this hand? Normally I would dismiss it as donkey play, but I have seen this player at the $27 SNGs and he seems to be a winning player.

Poker Stars $20+$2 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament - t50/t100 Blinds - 9 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked.com

MP1: t3235 M = 21.57
MP2: t2377 M = 15.85
Hero (CO): t3020 M = 20.13
BTN: t4500 M = 30
SB: t1550 M = 10.33
BB: t6828 M = 45.52
UTG: t3610 M = 24.07
UTG+1: t1843 M = 12.29
UTG+2: t3307 M = 22.05

Pre Flop: (t150) Hero is CO with A 2 K 4
5 folds, Hero raises to t300, 1 fold, SB calls t250, BB calls t200

Flop: (t900) 5 8 J (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: (t900) Q (3 players)
SB bets t900, BB raises to t3600, Hero folds, SB calls t350 all in

River: (t3400) 9 (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t3400
SB shows T K K 7 (HI: a straight, Nine to King)
BB shows Q T J Q (HI: a straight, Eight to Queen)
SB wins t3400

Preflop-Not totally rough...suited and co-ordinated. He is also getting a discount from the sb and is not so short as to be committed post flop. I can call here.

Flop- Standard all round.

Turn- Nobody bets the flop and therefore he takes a stab by repping the nut straight and prices himself in to any overshove. Ultimately, he doesn't want to check fold and he doesn't want to have to check call and fold a missed river. A check check all round is not great either and a check raise is rather ineffective considering his stack and the stack sizes behind. Therefore he bets out his open ended flush draw in the knowledge that he doesn't have to have the best hand (but likely does considering your likely low draw range and big stacks wide range as the big stack) and can take it down there and then, or if he is called, he has decent redraws if actually behind. Potting into two players on a dryish turn card would rep quite strong to me sitting as one of those players to act behind and he can fold out decent lows and a lot of two pair type hands.I like his play.

I don't like the call pre flop but that all thats bad IMO. Once it goes check, check, behind him (you should have bet pot btw!) he sees a good turn and figures he can take it down there or if not he has a great draw (+made hand). I dont think this is 'donkey play' at all - I would make the same move - although i wouldn't have been in the hand in the first place.
Bob

+1. Why didn't hero bet the flop?

It has always confused me though as to why a play is considered "donkeyish" if made at lower levels but not "donkeyish" if made at a higher level. It is EXACTLY the same play. Or whether it is made by a "good" or "bad" player. It is EXACTLY the same play. In addition, I also hate the use of the phrase because people tend to use it when they i) wouldn't do it themselves or ii) they can't understand fully as to why someone would make that play.

These kings are not "rough"....kk93 kk74 kkj5 kk83 kk106 rainbow etc etc.

Agreed for the most. It is a marginal preflop call but if hero is as tight as it comes across and large stack is calling wide from the BB there are plenty of flops that sb can take down quite easily. It is marginal but certainly not "donkeyish".

What I mean is, the possibility exists that perhaps my analysis of the play was wrong, and the play was actually alright. If a better player than me makes this play then I give more weight to the possibility that it's me who is in the wrong!

Isn't that what it means?

Betting the flop would be a bluff of the extremely semi kind (if I am called or raised then I am getting either nothing, or half the pot). I didn't want to invest 1/3 of my remaining chips to get all-in praying for a low card to come so I can get my money back.

More often than not, the turn card will not make my low, and even if it does, then it's a poor spot to get your stack in with just the nut low.

If I had considered that the blinds would call with hands as crappy as they did, then I would be more inclined to make the c-bet. Perhaps I underestimate their range for the preflop call (as evinced by me calling the guy donkeyish!)

I would c-bet if I had flopped a pair and a low draw (then it is a value bet, because people may call with no pair and a low draw, or with just one pair themself).

Dude. If you bet pot on the flop then you have a very good chance of taking this pot down there and then. If not (and you get called) then the most likely turn action is check to you at which point you can take a free card rather than commiting yourself by potting.

If I have the nutlow on the turn then frankly it doesn't matter if this is a 'poor spot' or not cause its going in! Too much folding / not betting in this game is a bad idea imo and something easily taken advantage of by strong players.

BOb

Well said.. especially the "Dude." part.