Q&A #17: What’s the Deal with Straddles?
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I’ve gotten a few different questions about straddling, and none of them covers all the issues, so instead of quoting one, I’ll just sum them up with my own question.
What’s the deal with straddling? Is it a good thing to do, or is it dumb? How does it change the ...
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In addition to the straddle there is also the rarely used “sleeper”, which is a straddle placed in the middle of the field with an option. Anyone who plays before the sleeper must now call the straddle at a minimum, and when it becomes the sleeper’s turn his action is live, which means he may chose to raise or re-raise. However if everyone folds to the sleeper, he has the option of removing the bet from the table.
Lastly there is also a type of straddle called “The Rock”. The rock is a forced under the gun straddle, but UTG is only forced when he holds the rock. The rock is usually donated by a player, players, or the house and is bound together by rubber-bands, tape, or something similar. If the player wins a pot which contains the rock, he must post the rock as a straddle next time he is under the gun.