Every time I think I know everything about poker--at least about rules and procedures--I'm proven wrong.
Last night at the Rio a player was putting in a straddle bet from the button. This is something I had never seen before. The dealer would announce "button straddle."
Looking around the internet, it appears that this is the same thing as is elsewhere called a "Mississippi straddle." I have heard of that before, but only in the context of players asking dealers in other casinos if it was allowed, and the answer was always "no," so I never explored how it worked. I was surprised to learn that the Rio allows it.
The player on the button can post double the big blind before the cards are dealt. The pre-flop action then starts with the small and big blinds, concluding with the button. In other words, the button gets to act last on every round of betting, not just the three after the flop.
I don't like this at all. With the common straddle, the players in the blinds only have their relative position altered slightly. The big blind, instead of being last to act before the flop, is next-to-last. This isn't much of a change, and if the action has gone all the way around without a raise, the blinds can limp in with only the straddler left as a possible raiser behind. But with the button straddle, the players in the blinds have their relative order of action shifted radically, from last or almost last to first. If they choose to limp in, there is the whole table of people yet to act behind who might raise, rather than just the straddler. That makes a huge difference in whether one judges it to be worth calling from the small blind.
I don't think a player should be able to alter the order of play that dramatically.
There is nothing about this in the poker rule books that I have. It isn't even included in Michael Wiesenberg's poker dictionary (see http://www.poker1.com/mcu/mculib_dictionary.asp). I find precious little intelligent discussion of its merits and demerits in the various poker forums. All of which means that I don't have thoughtful commentary from reliable sources that might help me see aspects of this variation that are at present escaping me. For that reason, I'll keep an open mind on the subject for now. Maybe there are decent arguments that would make me revise my opinion.
But for now, I think it stinks.
(Had another small profit at the Rio today, and picked up another nice batch of colorful chips, as shown above.)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
A pox on the "button straddle"
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2 comments:
When I played briefly at the Rio last week I saw this. I had seen it before as it was the rule in the No Limit games when i dealt the WSOP in 2006. I did not realize that the Rio was allowing it now in the poker room. I asked the manager how long they had been allowing a button straddle and he told it had been a few months, but then he surprised me by telling me that before that they were allowing a Mississippi straddle and changed because the players got to confused.
In a true Mississippi straddle a player can straddle from any position. The later positions getting priority so if the button wishes to straddle he may, if he doesn't then the cutoff etc...
As for the button straddle or Mississippi straddle I don't like it. It gives to much advantage to the button. The button gets to straddle - raising the stakes of the game while being in the best position on every street. Traditionally in three handed button games the straddle was prohibited for this very reason (few card rooms seem to enforce that now, but I believe the Bellagio does).
I came across this last year when playing at Planet Hollywood. Players would straddle to gain the advantage of being last to act preflop. I found it strange as well, but found it was normally just the young guns that did this (I guess to freak out us middle of the road players).
I as well can't see any advantage to this other than being able to "see" the postflop action last, and if you get a monster be able to reraise. I guess the real benefit is that it allows you to remove yourself from under the gun postflop.
I have also seen it, and forgive me but don't remember where, that this straddle can be re-straddled; i.e. the player next to the straddle, calls out and doubles the straddles bet, thus making him/her last to act preflop.
Very strange considering you have no cards yet and have basically redoubled the BB, but I put it down to a bullying tactic to scare off the marginals post flop.
As always, love the site..
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