Playing in NLH Straddle Games:

What basic strategy adjustments and what exploits for:

A. Everyone straddles?

B. Only some people straddle?

I should have qualified

A. UTG - all players do this
B. UTG - a few choose to do this
C. Button- a few choose to do this

If everyone straddles then the game effectively just increased in stakes, and you should play accordingly

If only some people straddle then the game stakes are raised only for certain positions. You should like this if you are in late position and dislike it if you're not.

I would argue that an UTG straddle benefits every player at the table except the straddler. All positions that don't post blinds are +EV, so doubling the stakes is good for them. I doubt that seeing one less player act in UTG+1 negates the edge of doubling the stakes.

I believe it is typically going to be bad for the SB/BB, but could possibly go either way. I don't have a very large sample, but in my database the SB loses a greater percentage of the posted blind than the BB, so for the BB to effectively become the SB would be bad. Maybe having a little more dead money in the pot and retaining position on a player means the straddle is good for the BB, though. For a good player I suspect the straddle is +EV even for the SB/BB, as these positions become less unprofitable.

From a strategic standpoint you should play similarly to double the stakes with half the stacks, except perhaps opening a bit tighter due to needing to get through an extra player.

A player who doesn't straddle has a considerable advantage over players who do.

The only thing that should change is your opening size IMO. You still play your tight range but you open larger as the straddles have effectively "loosened up the game", so your larger opens exploit their loose straddle flat ranges. IMO you can argue that your standard opening range should be even tighter as it becomes even harder to realize your equity in loose multi-way straddled pots with hands like AJo, etc.

Play tighter on the btn. You still have position on the remaining 3 players but there are 3 of them. So this is somewhere between the Co and btn of a regular 3 blind game.

So play looser than you would play in Co in a 2 blind game but tighter than you would play on the btn in a 2 blind game.

Small blind gets screwed. It is much harder for you to play a pot by just calling from the sb as 2 more players could wake up with a hand or take position on you.

in according with straddle game who play on pokermaster?