Straddling

ExLeper78

I hosted a home game on Saturday night and one of the players introduced me to a new concept: Straddling. Is this an acceptable practice? What are the rules concerning it?

delaney09

straddling in live cash games are standard

The straddle is a minimum of double the big blind It’s basically a blind raise that allows you to act last in this hand, where players wanting to enter have to at least call your straddle, and it gives you the option to raise your blind raise, reraise a raiser, check, or fold.

delaney09

i will pm you a link that explains all about straddling this link will explain everything you want to know

The_Don90

How i look at it. Your just an extra blind.

Good story about straddling for Cardiff SPT on one of thewys blogs.

Sky_Dave

In Response to Re: Straddling:

straddling in live cash games are standard The straddle is a minimum of double the big blind It’s basically a blind raise that allows you to act last in this hand, where players wanting to enter have to at least call your straddle, and it gives you the option to raise your blind raise, reraise a raiser, check, or fold.
Posted by delaney09

Standard is a little bit too strong I think here Ash. It's definitely done from time to time, but the general thing is it has to be agreed by all of the players on the table.

I always explain it as a 'bigger blind' - so you now have three blinds: small, big, bigger. The bigger blind - or straddle - does indeed have the option to raise if it's limped around to them in the same way the big blind does in a normal game. 

As Ash says, it's normally double the big blind - so you could play a £1/2/4 game or a 5p/10p/20p game, for instance. Occasionally it might be bigger: if I recall correctly, the biggest of the regular games at the Vic in London is a £5/10/£25 PLO/NLHE game.

Why do players do it? Generally it's to get the action going in the game, which you might want to do if a) you're stuck or b) - and a little more cynically - you think playing at higher stakes makes some of the players in the game play worse. If you've gone to your mates house with the mind set of losing no more than £50 in a 25/50p game, imagine how much trickier it is to make your £50 last when you're now paying £1.75 every orbit and a standard raise now might be £4 rather than £1.50.

It's fun, it drives action but it does change the game dynamic a bit so think carefully before agreeing to it!

ExLeper78

Thanks for the replies. They've been a great help.

JockBMW

Check out the Million Dollar Cash game  Season 3 episode 10  2/2

At around 21 minutes you'll see how to straddle.  The straddling goes around the table until John Juanda straddles for $9600 

aiken2001

Some players do it to get the game going as stated above. Others maybe want to be playing at a higher stake game but none is available. Its a pita but can be advantageous if you have a good hand as you can pick up more than just the normal blinds. Its nice when you do it and look down at bullets when someone has shoved/ large raised against you.

An interesting side issue on this used to lay occasionaly in a club in waterlooville and the owbner used to sit in on the cash games and always straddled never really paid much attention until thinking about it now.n The straddle almost always meant the pot was raked. He held his own and of course as the club owner benefited from improved rake

delaney09

Standard is a little bit too strong I think here Ash

lol yeah i should of said i didn't mean standard as in they happen constantly was referring to the following bit of the OP: Is this an acceptable practice?  should of said that sorry lol.

Archangel

This just creates more action, as long as the entire table agrees it's fully acceptable.  The straddle has to be at least double the big blind.  Sounds like you're home game will be juicy.  Have fun.