A poker straddle is a relatively rare occurrence that you’re unlikely to see online but may sometimes see in live games. A straddle is a voluntary blind bet made by one of the players before any cards are dealt. Unlike the blinds, which are mandatory, this is completely voluntary, with the player simply choosing to increase the stakes for that hand.
A standard poker straddle is twice the size of the big blind, although some poker rooms may have slightly different rules. In most cases, there’s also a rule that says a straddle can only be done by a player in the under-the-gun position (directly to the left of the big blind).
As an example, say you’re sitting at a poker table with a small blind of $4 and a big blind of $8. The player to the left of the big blind opts to place $16 of chips on the table for a straddle before any cards are dealt. Each player must check $16 to stay in the game after receiving their hole cards.
Why Straddles Are a Bad Idea
In most cases, straddling in poker is a bad idea. You’re putting in a blind bet on an unknown hand, increasing the stakes before you even know what hand you have. Naturally, your expected value for that hand will drop, and you may feel compelled to play a hand that you normally wouldn’t simply because you raised the stakes.
In addition, most poker rooms will only allow you to straddle from the early position to the direct left of the big blind. This puts you at a disadvantage over the other players, as you’ll have less information on their hand ranges before you make your decision. The majority of hands in poker should be folded if you want to play for profit, so raising before you even see your cards is less than ideal.
Can Straddling Be Good?
While it’s almost always a bad idea to straddle, there are some instances where it can be a good strategy. As a new player, it should almost certainly not be in your poker toolbox, but if you’re a bit more experienced, there are some situations where it can benefit you.
The most obvious situation where straddling can be good is if you’re playing at a very loose table. If you know that all of your opponents are happy to play weaker hands, increasing the pot quickly can be a good strategy. This is especially true if they’re prone to folding to aggression post-flop. Straddling is a great way to force those loose players to have to double how much they put into the pot. This can allow you to exploit them post-flop. However, it quickly leads to very large stakes, so the variance can be very high.
Another situation where straddling can be viable, albeit a much rarer one, is if everyone at the table is doing it. Some poker rooms are much more open to the idea than others, and it’s often part of the culture to straddle. If you find that every player at the table straddles on their time, it could be a good idea to straddle too. While it’s not mandatory, the social pressure may make it hard not to straddle. However, you should only do so if you’re comfortable with increasing the stakes.
Lastly, a situation where you find players are far too tight can be a good time to straddle. Occasionally, you’ll sit at a boring table where everyone folds and very few hands are ever played. While this is a good opportunity to steal blinds, it’s often dull and is a slow way to increase your chips. Straddling can be a good way to encourage some opponents to play their hand, as it increases the potential reward. On the other hand, it may also make them play even tighter.
