Straddles?

[TheDuke]

Do any of you guys play with straddles?

How do you handle restraddles? 2x previous straddle?

How do you handle a raise to a straddle? Do you consider the straddle to be a bet or a raise? Say the blinds are $1/$2. UTG straddles to $4. Do you allow UTG+1 to raise to $6 or do you say the minimum raise in that spot has to be $8?

[Harlequin011]

Originally Posted by TheDuke

Do any of you guys play with straddles?

How do you handle restraddles? 2x previous straddle?

How do you handle a raise to a straddle? Do you consider the straddle to be a bet or a raise? Say the blinds are $1/$2. UTG straddles to $4. Do you allow UTG+1 to raise to $6 or do you say the minimum raise in that spot has to be $8?

A straddle is treated as an extra blind. In your example it would be $4 for a traditional straddle. That means it's $4 to play and when the action gets back to UTG+1 he has the option to raise.

Edit after re-reading: The Straddle is based on the raise. If you only allow 2x straddles then the next bet can be by 2 as well. So your raise can go to $6. (but you're allowed to punch that guy in the face, nicely of course)

In Tunica they have a side straddle where it is done on the button. Some games let players straddle for any amount. So if it's a $50 side straddle it's $50 for everyone and the button still has an action!

[mipevi]

Straddles, yes please.

At my game the straddle is at minimum double the BB, restraddle at minimum double the "raise" portion of the first straddle + BB. So in your example I'd allow UTG+1 to restraddle to $6.

[jldecarlo]

I think that the rules about straddles vary a lot from room to room.

At my home game (1-2 NL) a straddle is a $4 bet with the minimum raise to $6. We allow re-straddles, which are to $8 (with the minimum raise to $10, I suppose, although I've never seen it and would give some serious flack to anybody who tried it). You can re-re-straddle to $16 if you want. As far as I'm concerned you can put as much money as you want into the pot (especially blind). It's NL poker after all.

You may, and probably will, encounter different rules at different places.

L

[TheDuke]

Thanks for the responses.

In my own game I treat the straddle as another blind bet and not a raise - meaning in a $1/$2 game a straddle (to $4) makes it necessary to go to $8 to make a min-raise. If UTG+1 wanted to put in the 2nd straddle it would be $8 also - 3rd straddle to $16 and so on. Min-raise would have to be a multiple of the last straddle. In effect I want the straddle to effectively raise the stakes for that particular hand. 1 straddle makes the $1/$2 game turn into a $2/$4, 2 straddles would turn it into $4/$8 and so forth.

I've been to a home game where in a $1/$2 game multiple straddles only have to increase in $2 increments - meaning someone who is the 3rd straddle only has to go to $8 and someone could min-raise to $10. I really didn't like it - need more action! Also when we got to 3 handed they didn't let me straddle on my button.

[mipevi]

Originally Posted by TheDuke

Also when we got to 3 handed they didn't let me straddle on my button.

That's borderline criminal! I straddle OTB 95% of the time. 5% I raise.

[Krafticus]

I play in some crazy home games, and we get 4 - 5 re-straddles.

in $.25/$.50, we would straddle to $1, re-straddle to $2, double straddle to $4, triple straddle to $8, and one more to the button to $16.

Most of the time, we just get to the double and people start to get nervous.

Mark

[B.C.]

Originally Posted by Krafticus

I play in some crazy home games, and we get 4 - 5 re-straddles.

in $.25/$.50, we would straddle to $1, re-straddle to $2, double straddle to $4, triple straddle to $8, and one more to the button to $16.

Same here. Often in PLO 7-handed, after straddles it will be up to the dealer or one of the blinds to act first. Our home game calls it "value building".

[jdunford]

Originally Posted by Krafticus

I play in some crazy home games, and we get 4 - 5 re-straddles.

in $.25/$.50, we would straddle to $1, re-straddle to $2, double straddle to $4, triple straddle to $8, and one more to the button to $16.

Mark

One more re-straddle and I'm all-in blind!

Seriously, do people re-straddle for 30xBB or more? Are you playing 1000xBB deep or something?

At my 25¢/50¢ game, we play single straddle to $1, double straddle to $2, and cap it there. Min-raise on the single straddle is 50¢; on the double it's $1. But I've never seen a min-raise on a straddle (not that it couldn't happen). Usually the standard raise on a single straddle is to $5 or more, and on a double is to $10 or more - and that's when effective stacks are $100+. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a min-raise in my game (since moving to Ottawa).

[pltrgyst]

Originally Posted by TheDuke

Do any of you guys play with straddles?

Not me. I banned straddles in my weekly home game when they got out of hand. Might as well play wild card games.