The purpose of adding a "mandatory straddle" or de facto third blind to a game is to double the stakes unofficially, while avoiding advertising the fact.

Evidently many of the people organizing these games are clueless enough to be unaware of the reason for this structure, so consider this a PSA.

Before Bravo came along, people just raised the blinds: if a whale showed up to a 5-10 and wanted to play bigger, the game turned into a 10-20 or 10-25. Things like this still happen sometimes in remote places: a random high stakes game might pop up in Shreveport or Kansas City or whatever. Anyone who cares to look can see it advertised, but when a bumhunter might have to travel several hundred miles to get there, it's not a big problem.

In more saturated poker markets such as Las Vegas, this has gone out of fashion due to the Bravo effect. If a non-daily big game pops up at one cardroom, everyone playing at other local venues can know immediately and drive over to get in the game and reduce the regs' EV.

Therefore bigger games at venues that don't host them everyday are best kept hidden. Making a 10-20 appear on Bravo as a 5-10 is an effective way of doing this. Bravo, and the Bravo-watching public, don't know that the players are unofficially doubling the stakes. Telling the floor you're actually playing 5-10-20, so he can advertise it as such on Bravo, defeats the whole purpose of making it a 5-10-20 to begin with. I've sometimes seen people actually start lists for 5-10-20, which is mind-bogglingly stupid.

You're welcome.

Couldn't the poker room just list the game as 1/2 or not list it at all on Bravo?

FWIW, if you want to keep a specific clientele out of a game in your poker room, you make that game (semi-)private. That's been happening in Vegas and other places for a pretty long time now.

Another 'it depends' spot in poker.

Typically a mandatory straddle is something that the Players 'already at the table' agree to in an effort to create action. Leaving the table at the current table stakes has quite a few different effects on the game.

1) It essentially cuts everyone's stack in half. (Duh) But some Players don't really adjust their play for the increased PF BB status.
2) Changing stakes may require some Players to take chips off the table.

3) Some Players wont sign up for a 5/10 .. EVER, but they will sit down at a 2/5 game.
3A) Lower stakes can keep the lists 'fuller', so less fear of breaking.

4) In some rooms all it takes is one Player changing their mind or a new Player refusing to abide by the previous 'table vote' to undermine that portion of the game.
4A) A table vote, like showing one card if you take a pot down before Showdown, typically requires a 100% agreement with Floor approval.

5) While I understand your 'Reg' comment, advertising can be a good thing too by creating a longer list and potentially 1-2 more 'regular' tables in the room while they wait for a seat in that game .. or generate a feeder table. If the Floor is smart, they will call it a must move so the mark can't table change .. if there's a mark involved.
5A) Once again, I'm assuming that the Regs/organizers will normally already be at the table, or at least higher on the list, once the game hits Bravo 'properly' labeled.

6) In a dense poker community like Vegas, I'm also assuming that some Players are taking care of some Floors and getting update texts as to what's really going on in the room.

7) It's OK to have clueless people wandering around in the poker world.

I think your comment is worthy, but your tone sounds sharp like you were wronged somehow. I just don't know in which direction .. are you upset that you don't have some whales to yourself? Or are you upset that you aren't seeing the bigger games on Bravo anymore? (Maybe you aren't upset about anything) GL

PS .. exit 333 is a bit of a guess. We can assume you're not from Dalton, GA. Are there enough poker options in Jacksonville, FL to warrant your comment?

Here’s a thought: people are starting 5/10/20 games because… they want to play a 5/10/20 game. The floormen probably don’t care about nitty regs either and will put up the game as whatever game it is because they don’t get paid enough to lie for the sake of nitty regs.

Before calling others "mind boggling stupid" you should think about it from their perspective otherwise you would realize that the "mind boggling stupid" comment applies to yourself.

Unless it is a private game (which has it's own rules governing it), gaming regulations require a game to be listed as it actually is. The difference between a 5/10/20 game and a 5/10 game with a 20 straddle that all players agree to is that a new player could sit at the game and refuse to straddle for 20 and there is literally nothing anyone else at the table could do about it. If it is listed and declared as a 5/10/20 game then new players have to post the 20 straddle when required.

I understand that you don't want your personal whale exposed to the public, but most casinos are unwilling to risk fines for your advantage.

You are welcome.

^ and in fact the casinos I know about get somewhat annoyed at regs who insist on changing stakes without talking to the floor. Casinos are highly regulated (for good reason) and could get in trouble with their state gaming commission.

FWIW, merely increasing the blinds doesn't change the stakes involved. That's a function of the stack size you and the other players have. A 1/1 game with a minimum buy-in of $1000 is a higher stakes game than a 2/5 game with a maximum buy-in of $500.

In most of the larger rooms in LV, their biggest or top two biggest NL games are unlimited buy-in already. If a whale wants to walk in to a 5/10 game at the Wynn and plunk down $5000, they can. The reason to do the mandatory straddle is to move the skill/gamble scale towards gamble. That reduces the pro's edge a little and gives the whale a better chance to win once in a while.

We had a spot at a casino that had just opened not being able to run a 5/10 PLO game since they hadn't submitted that game on their list to Gaming .. so the 2/5 often ran with the mandatory $10-20 straddle up front. The issue was 'quickly' resolved and 5/10 was added, with a max $100 straddle! GL