Straddle

A straddle is an optional, voluntary blind bet — usually twice the big blind — that a player posts before any cards are dealt, inflating the pot and, in the standard case, buying the last action pre-flop. It is a live-action convention permitted in most cash games (and some tournaments) rather than a rule of poker itself. The most common form is the under-the-gun straddle, posted by the player immediately left of the big blind, which becomes a new, larger "big blind" for that hand and pushes the action around the table before returning to the straddler last. Because a straddle raises the effective stakes without changing the deck, it favours deep-stacked, aggressive players and increases variance for everyone at the table. Some rooms also allow a "Mississippi" straddle from any position, including the button. Worked example: in a $2/$5 cash game, the big blind is $5. An under-the-gun player straddles for $10, doubling the price of entry. Now everyone must call $10 to see the flop instead of $5, and pre-flop raises are sized off $10. If eight players limp behind, the pot swells to roughly $90 before the flop versus about $45 without the straddle — twice the money in play, and the straddler acts last with a random hand. Practical note for players: straddling is almost always mathematically -EV because you commit chips blind and out of position, so treat it as an entertainment or table-image choice, not a winning strategy. Never straddle simply because others do. Compare with the big blind, the ante and playing in position.