Should You Straddle? According to GTO Wizard, No Is The Short Answer
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Many poker games allow straddles. You only have to watch an episode of High Stakes Poker or a Hustler Casino Live cash game stream to see straddles in action. A straddle is where a player voluntarily posts a blind bet when they are not in the small or big blind. Straddles tend to be twice the size of the big blind, with an under-the-gun staddle being the most common.
The boffins, or should that be wizards, behind GTO Wizard recently delved deep into whether or not you should straddle under the gun. From an expected value (EV) point of view, the short answer is a resounding no. However, there are some circumstances that warrant straddling, as you are about to learn.
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Should You Straddle?
Putting money into the pot without looking at your cards puts you at a massive disadvantage, even if you are straddling the button. Not even the best players in the world can turn a profit from the blinds because of the positional disadvantage these seats experience.
The only time straddling could be considered remotely +EV would be in private games where giving action is important. Tossing in the occasional straddle to keep those who love to gamble happy could be a surefire way to keep your seat in a good game. However, according to GTO Wizard, straddling solely to create a loose image is not advisable.
Stradding Massively Reduces Stack Sizes
Although an under-the-gun straddle is usually only twice the size of the big blind, it has a dramatic effect on stack sizes, as GTO Wizard explains.
"In a $5/$10 game with a $20 straddle, the big blind is effectively $20, and a $1,000 stack would be better thought of as a 50bb stack rather than a 100bb stack. This means what would've felt like a large bet before the straddle was in play will now be commonplace. Consequently, many hands that were not previously worth your entire stack will be in a straddled game."
The Wizard continues, "Even that is not perfect, however, because the straddles actually more than doubles the preflop pot size. The late Paul Magriel coined the unit M to measure stacks as a function of the starting pot. In a standard $5/$10 game, there is $15 in the pot preflop, so a stack of $15 would be 1M, and a $1,000 stack would be 66.67M. With a straddle on, the starting pot would be $35, and a $1,000 stack would be 28.57M, a good deal less than half what it was before the straddle."
Poker Bankroll Management: An Introduction
Bankroll and Opening Ranges Are Affected
The first thing to be aware of if you play in games with frequent straddles is you need a much larger bankroll. The under-the-gun 2bb straddle means you need a bankroll twice the size compared to playing in a game without a straddle.
You should also be aware that you will play for larger pots, meaning you'll routinely win and lose much larger pots than in a straddle-less game.
The most significant changes are how you should play in a straddle game, particularly when considering raising first in. You may think you should be opening looser from the button to try and win the extra big blinds, but the opposite is true! In fact, depending on stack sizes, you should be opening between 15% and 20% fewer hands from the button!
Things become even more complicated when opening from the blinds. Still, the GTO Wizard blog expertly explains matters in great detail, complete with images to help you visualize ranges in each position. We highly recommend checking it out so you can fully grasp the concepts should you find yourself in games with an active straddle.
