There is some strategy on Straddle Pots/Games out there but i have not found any where the game still plays deep. Like for example I play in a 2/3/5/10, 500-2000. The $2 is very specific to my game, it is on the button. People often buy in for $2k. This is basically a deep no limit game with three blinds.

I'm thinking that on one hand, whichever position you are in there are more players left behind you to act. If you are button you have three players instead of two and so on. However, the extra player remaining is in a blind which is of course OOP and with blind money invested. The bb is now in a ****ty position like the sb usually is. The sb blind is in an even worse position now. I think this is a good argument to RFI more often.

So what do you guys think? Should we be more incentivized to raise or less? Also if a game like this plays deep I think its best to play more suited/implied odds type hands(better term?). The other thing is when playing a deep game I think it makes more sense to play more hands than usual in LP and less than usual in EP. If one of the three blinds elects to defend, they are going to have to play OOP with deep stacks.

Another consideration is how the sb and bb should react first in to this situation. For the bb, on one hand there is more dead money($2 from BU & $3 from SB) in the pot to fight for. On the other hand you have to play the pot OOP deep. As for the sb, you are going to be facing two more players when folded to and will have to play OOP.

Thoughts on the points I brought up? Any other considerations i didn’t think of?

Hey, to does RFI mean?

What does* RFI mean?

RFI - Raise first in (You are the original preflop raiser)


I am confused OP, with the btn posting the smallest "blind", is that treated like a button straddle is where sb acts first preflop instead of utg?

oh late response, sry. but no it is just blind money. action is totally normal starting utg and ending with the straddle.

You'd have to play tighter than usual in every position.

There should be a lot more 3 betting from the blinds.

Off suited Broadway will go down in value a lot. Off suit connectors increase in value because you cooler sets on low boards.

More money in preflop = looser preflop hand selection

If the straddle is compulsory this is essentially a restructured 5/10 game with an extra $5 in preflop (similar to an ante game) so you have more incentive to fight for the pot.

Hard to compare exact positions but I would guess that:
- $2 blind should be tighter than a conventional small blind
- non-blind players should all play looser with more OOP players to act
- SB and BB should defend more liberally due to the extra money in the pot and looser ranges of players above

It's not that simple. On the btn in a 2 blind game..you only have to get through 2 players. On the btn in a 3 blind game, one extra player can be dealt a good hand. Even if he is OOP..your very light opens will lose money when opening into 3 players specially since the blinds will respond by 3 betting a lot.

If it was an ante game,I agree. Btn should open more in a 2 blind ante game than in a 2 blind non ante game.

Ante is pure dead money.

In a 3 blind non Ante game, the extra money in the pot is not really dead. There is a player defending that money. Jmt.