Can you give an example of a situation where donking the river with a mediocre hand would be effective?

[Mike_25]

Donking the river with mediocre hands can be effective against aggressive players in some situations, though it should be used sparingly. An example would be if an aggressive opponent continues to bet that the flop and turn with air and you luckily hit an unimpressive draw on the river. Donking as a bluff on the river in this spot could work, especially if the board doesn't improve your opponent's range much. With that said, I would only try this play with the weakest of my made hands, as better rivers often call for a check-call strategy with mediocre made hands to avoid getting re-raised and pushed out of the pot. This donking strategy should be deployed thoughtfully and selectively for maximum profit.

 

[Crazy_winner]

When your opponent checks on the turn, which may be a sign of weakness, and you have noticed that their aggression tends to decline on later streets, you can take advantage of their propensity to slow down by donking on the river with your subpar hand and possibly forcing them to fold a hand that might be stronger than yours.