blonde poker forum

When you see cash games on a board, they have the blinds, but then optional £x - what's that mean please?

Optional straddle bet.
A straddle bet is an optional blind bet made by a player before receiving his cards. Straddles are only used in games played with blind structures. Straddles are normally not permitted in tournament formats.
The player immediately to the left of the big blind may place a live straddle blind bet. The straddle must be a raise over the big blind. A straddle is a live bet; the player placing the straddle effectively becomes the "bigger blind". Action begins with the player to the left of the straddle. If action returns to the straddle without a raise, the straddle has the option to raise. The player to the left of a live straddle may re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original straddle.

You normally see this in Omaha cash games £2/£2 with optional straddle.

Would anyone welcome a straddle in online cash games?

I think this would be a quality introduction.  Especially if you have a passive table.

Best idea iv seen in a while. Quality, will be recommending this.

Im not in favour of these straddles personally, though i understand that it adds value to the pot but it also tends to make the stacks more shallow in effect and therefore reducing a winning players edge, the deeper the stacks the more mistake weak players tend to make.

I would be more in favour of adding antes to cash games as a solution to creating action.

indeed :)..

Cheers for that.

It wasn't online I've seen it, it was live, although I have to admit, I don't see why I'd want to post one before my cards are dealt.  If it's not optional, then fair enough, but if it's up to me, I'd rather see my cards first no?  If my cards are any good, I can always raise, but I'm just asking to be raised I would think.

BUT, YOU get the option to RE RAISE BEFORE the flop when the action comes back to you.

but I get that option anyway don't I?

Not if you limp in and then there is no raise behind you.

By taking advantage of the straddle your creating action in a game that may otherwise be very tight.  Straddle is always optional but i dont think there is anything better than getting dealt AA or KK when you straddle someone double straddles so on and so forth and then boom, you re pop it!!

Ah yeah, it's UTG isn't it!  My bad.

Thanks again

straddles are great! Stacks online are already to shallow so it wouldn't work. Best for pl games anyway

Hardly,
It only works when all (or at least most) join in.  The straddle is optional, so as such passive players will simply choose not to commit chips. Do you want to be on your own commiting OOP. From experience the only players willing to straddle are already action players. Its not an answer for tight games.

That said deeper stacks and antes maybe the way forward for the t'internet.

I find it works well in deep PLO games, they don't need to straddle you just drag them into pots with small raises pre that they are forced to call for after having limped