In reviewing hand history posts the last few weeks, I've seen repeated criticism of OPs who begin the hand by straddling in games without a "mandatory" straddle. I've seen both UTG and button straddles roundly derided.

From what I can gather, it seems like it's bad because it reduces stack depth and therefore reduces any perceived edge we might have. Two questions:

1. Is this the only reason straddles are bad, even on the button where allowed?

2. Is there a +EV reason to straddle to encourage larger pots and create more action? Especially if the people on your left are nitty and/or passive, does a button straddle give you an edge from that perspective?

Betting without looking at your cards - except when the rules force you to - is a strategy that many people frown on.

I doubt the consensus on button straddling is that is -EV.

UTG straddles are bad because you are increasing the size of the pot and the stakes while in the worst position.

I think button straddling is OK especially if you get to act after the blinds, which is often the case.

I feel that straddling can be +EV at certain times, but only CERTAIN times....for example when you are in LP with a table full of players that you can bet off of cards and bluff....with this ability against certain opponents then u are able to inflate the pot already with opponents that u know u are better than. $$$$$$$$ SHIP IT

BTW when I say bet off of cards and bluff, I mean players that u know u can manipulate and bully.

$hip it

I'd like to see evidence of anyone having a positive bb/100 from the Big Blind position. If you do not, then by straddling you are now doubling your bb/100 lose-rate.

From the button I'd think it would make sense to straddle whenever you can, as it's almost impossible to not have a positive bb/100 from the Button position.

straddling is good when you have AA/KK

can somebody please explain what straddling means?

It's something usually only seen in live poker. The person who has an option to straddle places a double-sized blind before looking at his cards. It is most commonly available as the UTG player, essentially meaning this hand will have a small blind, a big blind, and a double-big blind.

Sometimes it's also available to do as the button. In some of these cases, the button will go last preflop, after the small and big blind.

I don't remember if I've seen it in a casino, but in home games it is common that UTG can straddle for 2bb, UTG+1 can optionally straggled for 4bb and so on. In some wild games I have seen 3 or 4 straddles easily. These are fun and gabmly but unless stacks are very deep, just becomes a preflop all in (because with 4 straddles the pot before any preflop betting is 1+2+4+8+16+32 bb = 63bb)

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Last time I was in reno they let you straddle an amount up to half your stack.

You can only straddle before looking at your cards so this is an invalid argument.

That's the joke

To be fair it wasn't a funny joke....

Even if someone somehow managed a positive win-rate from the BB, his UTG win-rate should be higher, so straddling still doesn't make sense.

We're not just trying to be profitable, we want to be the most profitable we can be. The BU position is already very profitable. Straddling there is probable not losing but I doubt it's better than whatever our normal win-rate from the BU is. Maybe if we're playing in a game where we can have a very high vpip from the BU it is good.

Something is wrong if we can't play a lot of hands from the button.

That's a bad reasoning bc u arn't doubling your winrate by straddling.

IMHO, straddle reflects impatience.

in one of my local card rooms at the 1/2 tables they do a mandatory $2 on the button. So it would go $2(bu),$1(sb), $2(bb), $4(utg) if straddled. Would this make it more advantageous to straddle? or would it have virtually no effect?

UTG straddling is -EV. I don't care if you're at a table full of rocks. Don't do it. Ever.

Button straddling with the option to act last before the flop, however..... Do that one every chance you get.

I made straddling profitable while I was at boarding school and we played Hold-em during the weekends. Since everyone was LP I almost always straddled because 95% of the time players would only limp that straddle before its my turn and then I could just ship it with almost all aces +9 or better kicker.

I also got called by K3 once and he said the reason he called me was because he wanted to bluff. <----- Straddling is good vs some type of players. (I asked him "u mean U was thinking I was bluffing so you call my all in??" and he replied "no, I called cuz I wanted to bluff you".)

It happens in my home game a lot, sometimes there will be up to 4 straddlers. We only play .25/.25 though.

Straddling usually means that you will raise the pot when it comes to you...

It can work well if theres 5 callers and then the straddler doubles the pot, which will get a bunch of folds or maybe a caller to see a flop.

I dont care for straddlers or straddling... Especially when other players are egging you to do it. GET OFF MY STACK! lol

I don't get much of what is being said in this thread. Straddling is when you raise the blind prior to getting any cards. If the blinds are 10/20 and I am UTG, I can raise preflop to 40 and then player on my left is first to act preflop. This can continue around the table. Basically, you are raising one big blind in the dark. There is no straddling after you get your hole cards, so doing it with AA or KK makes no sense. Once the dealer is ready to go, the straddling is over.

This ^^^ is the best advice here on straddling. Unless you are trying steal someone's action or put someone on tilt preflop, it is not a very smart play. I'd go so far as to say the cutoff is not too risky.