Yes, I realize the BTN straddle creates a huge advantage. It also kills the game.

I would rather see everyone straddle UTG then see everyone straddle the BTN.

Interesting -- even though you know they don't adjust and you can? Weird. (BTW, it's never killed any game I've played in -- and they all allow BTN straddle -- but I play in games that can run pretty big.)

The button straddle is definitely better than an under the gun straddle (for the straddler). But it is certainly not an advantage in general. Reducing effective stack size only diminishes the button’s positional advantage.

Blind bets are never advantageous.

You must be fun at parties

I am very fun at parties, thanks.

It kills the game in the sense that Poker in general is a contest for the antes, but Hold'em is a contest for the blinds. Every scenario discussed in theory assumes a heads-up confrontation between a PFR in LP and the BB.

In a normal set-up, the blinds have the benefit of seeing every other players' actions before action gets back to them, and they have to decide whether or not to defend. The fact that the blinds already have money in the pot creates better pot odds for them, incentivizing them to defend wider, thus creating the post-flop contest.

When the BTN straddles, it forces the blinds to act first, before seeing what other players do. The other players, meanwhile, don't really have as much incentive to limp or raise, knowing that the BTN now has better pot odds to call.

Every player in the game should NOT want the BTN to straddle, because it dis-incentivizes the blinds to call or raise. In theory, the blinds should be over-folding when the BTN straddle is on. If the blinds fold, every other player at the table has an incentive to go after the dead money from the blinds, but has to contend with the specter of the BTN straddle.

The UTG straddle stimulates action by way of players in EP adding more money to the pot. The BTN straddle does the opposite, by advantaging the BTN, who is already at a tremendous advantage. The pots end up being smaller, and contested by fewer players.

When we talk about adjusting to the BTN straddle, what adjustments are we talking about, exactly? If the adjustment is for the blinds to have a limp-3B'ing range, or all players to tighten their pre-flop ranges, how is that improving the game?

Kill this thread pls

lol

It’s a prisoners dilemma. The only way to get everyone to UTG straddle is to make an unbreakable agreement. Everyone will always have more EV by refusing of course.

Yes, button is the best place to straddle if you are the straddler. All straddles are losing though. UTG straddle is far superior to the button straddler for every player besides the straddle though. It all has to do with one fundamental truth about poker which is that position is extremely important. When you play in position, you have the option to be aggressive or to play passively. You get to realize your equity better. When the straddle is UTG, the pot is most often played between an in position raiser and the straddler who is out of position. The in position preflop raiser is going to win way more money than when their primary customer is a button straddler who gets to play in position. If you're a winning player, you would much rather there be a mandatory UTG straddle than a button straddle. Your EV is higher in every position with UTG straddle compared to button straddle except on the actual straddle itself. So 8/9 times it is better for you.

The other potentially great thing about UTG straddles is when the game allows restraddles which can make the games bigger, which again, if you are a winning player, is great for you.

Where I live, it is almost universally agreed upon among pro players that UTG straddles are good for the game. They are more popular as stakes get higher. But at lower stakes and among recreational players, button straddles are by far more preferred. It's one of the things that really sucks about 1/3 and 1/2 to be honest.

But I will say this. If most of the table is button straddling, I am going to button straddle. If most of the table agrees to UTG straddle, I will UTG straddle. It absolutely is a prisoners dilemma like OmahaDonk said. The best thing that can be done is to get the table to agree on doing the UTG straddle or making it mandatory.

So v stared the hand with 450, called 45 pre, bet 75 flop, and 250 turn so thats $420, so he has $30 behind? I guess i ship for $30 more. Or if the $250 put him all in im calling or whatever. This was the plan right? Like, im not checking that flop or the turn unless im banking on V to bluff off his stack, so it wouldnt even be a question as to whether im putting my stack in.

Also this thread is dumb, but the reason why utg straddles are “good” is because you successfully talked the fish at your table into playing for 2x the stakes, not because a third blind is somehow magically better than 2. 5/10 vs 2/5/10 is basically the same game if the player pool remains the same.

Also another funny and stupid thing about poker is that the same (pro) players clamoring for deeper buyins like 200 BB are also clamoring for straddles which effectively makes the stacks back at 100 BBs again. Its all because fish have been trained to think that the BB size indicates the size of the game. So “2/5” 4500 mad is the same stacks as “2/5” with a $10 straddle and $1000 buyin, theyve basically been tricked into playing 5/T

Have not played any button straddle games - it crossed my mind maybe your PF situations in combination with your stack depth & other players' profile is the few occasions when a limp - reraise would work.

QQ in EP is difficult to play multiway, especially with similar runout to this.