Straddles are a type of blind betting that takes place
preflop. Straddles greatly encourage more action in the game, causing players
to play a more aggressive strategy. However, they also interfere with the
number of stacks available and the way hands work, reversing the order of the
blinds - in the case of a Mississippi Straddle - as the blinds will have to
decide whether or not to enter the bet without knowing what the other players
will do, unlike what usually happens in a normal hand. Don't worry! We know
this concept can be complex, so in this article we're going to explain
everything you need to know.
Below, we look at what a poker straddle is, what the
different types of poker straddles are and when it's advisable to make a
straddle. Read on for more information.
What is straddle in poker
The first thing to be clear about is that poker
straddle, meaning and concept varies from the definition used in the investment
world. In the latter case, straddle consists of long-term investments that are
made as a way of acquiring money with simultaneous call and put options on the
stock exchange - usually with the same strike and with the same expiry date and
form. Now, leaving aside this concept, since it has nothing to do with poker,
and having made this clarification, we can begin to define what a straddle is
in poker and what its function is.
Well, when talking about straddle poker, meaning and
concept, what you should know is that it consists of a blind bet that is made
before looking at the private cards. Even before they are dealt. The straddle
usually takes place in Texas Hold'em games, usually in No-Limit games and with
high buy-ins (amount of money to enter a poker table) that exceed 200 BB or
even more - as this prevents the stack from being smaller than the apparent
stack as the streets develop. The straddle is an optional bet that is made
before seeing the dealer's hole cards, and must be agreed upon by the dealer
and the players before it can take place. Another thing you should know about
straddles is that there are several types of straddles, the most popular of
which are the UTG Straddle and the Mississippi Straddle - as we will see in the
next section.
It is important to keep in mind, however, that every
player has the option to object to making this bet, as it is a voluntary bet -
as we have already mentioned.
Types of poker straddle
There are several formats of straddle, as we mentioned
in the previous point about straddle, meaning and concept. These can be UTG
Straddle and Mississippi Straddle. The most popular of these is the UTG
Straddle. We explain how each of them works.
What is straddle in poker? UTG Straddle
UTG Straddle, or Under The Gun Straddle, is the bet
made by the first player to speak - position just to the left of the blinds,
the most complicated. This player can place a bet between double and 250% of
the BB bet - or Big Blind. The bet is made blind, before the cards are
revealed, even before the dealer deals the cards. Once the straddle has been
made, the UTG +1 player may redouble the straddle - also blind - and so on. If
this player or successive players do not wish to redouble, they may look at
their cards and decide whether they wish to call or fold. Likewise, when the
UGT player's turn comes around, he can look at his cards and decide whether to
fold, check or raise. In addition, once the straddle is over, the remaining
preflop streets, flop, flop, turn and river will be played as normal, with the
blinds having the option to check, raise or fold after the other players have
finished.
What is a straddle in poker? Mississippi Straddle
The Mississippi Straddle is an action that alternates
the order of betting in reverse. In this case, the dealer - or button - is
responsible for deciding whether to straddle or not. If he decides not to straddle,
the hand takes place as usual. However, if he does, then the preflop turn
starts with the Small Blind SB, then the Big Blind BB, then the UTB, then the
rest of the players, and finally the button, who can decide whether to call,
raise or fold before the flop. In other words, the big and small blinds will
have to decide whether to enter the hands or not without knowing what all the
players between them and the button will do. The button, on the other hand,
will have the advantage of talking later in the postflop and preflop.
When to straddle in poker
In general, it is not very appropriate to use this
strategy because we play without knowing our cards. However, if you are playing
against weaker opponents, you may want to consider this strategy in the long
run. In general, the straddle in poker is usually allowed in high stakes or
live nosebleed games. We explain what they are:
- High Stakes: High stakes are the highest levels in a cash game in which the chips
at the table represent their cash value, both online and live.
- Nosebleed: Nosebleed is
an anglicism used to refer to the strongest games on the network. That is,
those in which the buy-in is usually $5,000 or more, and in which there are
pots of thousands of euros.