Why Skywalker called me a “Donk”

I had a conversation with dear friend and fellow coach Skywalker, and he asked me why I was playing differently in tournaments than some of the strategies I recommend to students.

To be transparent, he said I was playing like a “donk,” and he was right.

It’s a fair question, and there’s a simple answer.

💡 The Situation

Sky was referring to the nightly GG High Roller Big O tournament.

He noticed I was:

  • Playing very loose
  • Re-buying aggressively
  • Seemingly playing like I had “infinite” buy-ins
  • “Lighting money on fire”

Here’s why.

📊 Bankroll & Buy-In Strategy

If you’re bankrolled for a tournament, that means at least 25-50 buy-ins, ready and liquid in your poker bankroll. In this instance, I have that.

But that doesn’t mean you can simply light it on fire.

My strategy would vary in cases where I may be shot-taking a particular MTT.

This was the case when I was playing E-Tay’s $2500 Big Big Mix at Borgata recently (making the final table).

However, I often late register (or re-enter) very late into this event when stacks are already:

  • < 10 BB
  • Sometimes < 6 BB

Why?

Because this is the only tournament of this format I can play each night, and I want to win.

If I bust, I can’t just hop into another Big O event 15 minutes later like in NLHE.

So I might re-buy later than I’d recommend for a student who’s grinding for pure profit.

🏆 My Goals vs. Student Goals

Students I coach are often:

  • Profit-focused
  • Looking for ROI
  • Looking to maximize hourly rate

My nightly goal in this event?

  • Play to win
  • Win

I don’t care about the ROI or hourly rate.

I care only about winning the tournament, and I only get one Big O Tournament per night.

This means my style here can look more loose-aggressive than my standard recommendation as I’m trying to build a stack.

♠️ High-Only Hands in Big O

Sky also pointed out I was playing many high-only hands. He’s not wrong.

My explanation:

  • These hands can make the nuts
  • These hands are very easy to play (akin to suited connectors in NLHE)
  • Low comes less than half the time
  • If the flop has only 1–2 low cards, high is in position and has the power
  • On the turn, if the low draw misses, that Ace-Deuce is sweating – and that’s where profit comes from

It’s about pressure, position, and betting into weakness.

🧠 Style Differences Between Coaches

Every coach has a style.

Every player is at a different point in their poker life.

Different reads + different goals = different styles.

But one truth is universal:

Aggressive, patient, positional poker is always the foundation.

Play your best.

Wolf

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