What is a straddle in poker?

Answer 1

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In a game like Texas Hold'em there is a small blind and a big blind. In some games the players agree to a straddle as well.

If you take the example of High Stakes Poker on GSN, all players ante $100 every hand. The small blind puts in $300, and the big blind puts in $600. If all the players at the table agree to a straddle, the player to the immediate left of the big blind puts in $1,200 (ie double the big blind). Any player wishing to remain in the hand has to at least call the straddle or raise.

The idea is it adds more action to the game and makes things more 'interesting.' Even the blinds have to commit a lot of money to the pot just to see the flop. Just like the blinds, the straddle is put into the pot before the cards are even dealt, so a straddle is like a third blind.

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thanks

Answer 2

There are various rules for this and can be slightly different depending on where you are playing be it a home game or a casino or card room type of game.

The basic rule is that the dealer to the left of the small blind puts in double the amount to call before seeing his or her cards. Now making it double just for anyone to call pre flop.

No skilled player will do this. This play is not a good play and almost any poker book will tell you that. Why would you want to double the bet on your cards before you see them?

However, people do this and some of them are just pure gambles. Others will do this if they feel like the action is too light.

I have seen this effect happen before. I was playing a cheap $/1/$2 no limit game and for about an hour or so there was almost no activity! There were almost no pots above about $10 or so. As such a number of players got fed up and started to straddle. This did work in that it right off the bat it created largers pots. Secondly, there are those players who like to punish stradlers. That is to say they love to raise a stradle some wait for good cards while others are more daring and will do so with nothing! That can make for a very interesting game! I play with this one guy and no matter what he will put in a large raise if there is a staddler! haha

Source(s):

5 years of consistant poker playing. (Mostly home games).

Answer 3

I've also seen games where the "straddler" isn't even the person to the left of the big blind. Sometimes a person just sitting down will straddle if the house allows it. It's definately a bad move and mostly done by serious jack em up gamblers. Of course, to a good poker player this is also exactly the kind of guy you want in the game. If they continually do it I'd complain to the room manager, otherwise let them have their fun the one time they do it and then start going after their chips. BTW, if anyone at the table objects to the straddle they shouldn't allow it to happen. And if multilple players keep putting up straddle bets find yourself another table; this one's a craps game.

Answer 4

ZCT say it all, it's to push the action, the player UTG is the one who put the straddle, forcing the other players to add more money if they want to stay in the hand.

Answer 5

there are two types of straddles. there is the live straddle or the dead straddle, both of which are placed prior to the cards being dealt. in order for the straddle to be live it must be placed by the player to the immediate left of the big blind. a straddle placed in any other position is considered dead, meaning that player will not have the option to raise once the action reaches them.
the straddle is usually twice the amount of the big blind and its purpose is to create more action in the hand by requiring all players to call twice the usual amount. straddles are not mandatory, though they are usually agreed upon by all active players.

Answer 6

if u r refering to hold-em... the plyr. on the button bets 2X the blind BEFORE the cards are dealt.