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What is a straddle in poker?

By José · Updated October 11, 2026

A straddle is an optional extra blind, usually twice the big blind, that the player to the left of the big blind puts in before the cards are dealt. It works like a third blind: that player now acts last before the flop and, if nobody raises, can check or raise. It doubles the stakes of that one hand: playing it costs twice as much. Cash games and home games often allow it; tournaments almost never do.

Below: the blinds in two sentences, the table drawn with and without a straddle, one hand played chip by chip, the versions some card rooms and home games allow, and a straight answer on whether it's worth doing. The chips in the examples aren't money: they're how the hand keeps score.

First lesson · 6 min The cards A full hand Is it worth it? FAQ

First, the blinds

The blinds are two bets put in before anyone sees a card: the player to the left of the button, the disk that marks the dealer, puts in the small blind, and the next player puts in the big blind, usually twice as much. Before the flop, the first three cards dealt face up in the middle, the big blind counts as a bet, so anyone who wants to play has to put in at least as much, and the big blind acts last.

Small blind and big blind Every seat, by name

Then the straddle, a third blind

  1. 1

    Who puts it in

    The player to the left of the big blind. That seat is called under the gun, because before the flop it's usually the first to act.

  2. 2

    How much

    Usually twice the big blind: with blinds of 1 and 2, a straddle is 4. Some card rooms, the poker rooms of casinos and clubs, allow a bigger one, up to a limit they set.

  3. 3

    When

    Before the cards are dealt, like the other two blinds. That's what makes it a blind: you put it in without seeing your cards.

  4. 4

    What the straddler gets

    The last turn before the flop. If nobody has raised when it comes back, the straddler can check, which means staying in without putting in more, or raise, which means putting in more.

  5. 5

    What it changes for everyone

    To play the hand you need 4 in front of you instead of 2, and the smallest raise goes to 8 instead of 4. That's why it doubles the stakes.

  6. 6

    What it doesn't change

    The order after the flop. From then on the first player still in to the left of the button acts first, usually the small blind, and the button acts last, as in any hand.

Who acts when, with and without a straddle

Six players, blinds of 1 and 2. The numbers are the order everyone acts in before the flop, and play goes to the left, clockwise. The hijack and the cutoff are the two seats before the button. A straddle moves everyone one turn: the seat after the straddler starts, and the straddler finishes.

Without a straddle

Under the gun acts first, the big blind last.

Order before the flop

  1. 1Under the gun
  2. 2Hijack
  3. 3Cutoff
  4. 4Button
  5. 5Small blind
  6. 6Big blind

With a straddle of 4

The seat after the straddler acts first, the straddler last.

Order before the flop

  1. 1Hijack
  2. 2Cutoff
  3. 3Button
  4. 4Small blind
  5. 5Big blind
  6. 6Under the gun
After the flop, nothing changes: straddle or not, the first player still in to the left of the button acts first, usually the small blind, and the button acts last. The straddler acts right after the blinds still in, before everyone else.

One hand with a straddle, chip by chip

Six players, blinds of 1 and 2. You're under the gun, and before the deal you put in a straddle of 4. Watch what each player has in front of them: that's what decides what they can do.

  • Walter Button Cards face down
  • Rufus Small blind Cards face down
  • Dottie Big blind Cards face down
  • You Under the gun 8 5
  • Victor Hijack Cards face down
  • Gale Cutoff Cards face down

  1. The first betting round

    Before the flop

    The middle

    16 Pot

    Your cards

    8 5

    1. Rufus puts in the small blind

      He's to the left of the button, so the small blind is his. It goes in before the deal.

      1

    2. Dottie puts in the big blind

      The next seat puts in the big blind, twice as much. Without a straddle, this is the bet everyone would have to match.

      2

    3. You straddle

      You're next, under the gun. Before the cards are dealt, you choose to put in 4, twice the big blind. Now 4 is the bet to match, and you'll act last before the flop.

      4

    4. The cards are dealt: two to each player, face down. Yours are an eight and a five.

    5. Victor folds

      Without the straddle he'd act second; with it, he acts first. To play he'd have to put in 4. He folds, and it costs him nothing: he had nothing in.

    6. Gale calls

      She puts in 4 to stay in. That's what playing costs in this hand: the straddle, not the big blind.

      4

    7. Walter folds

      He folds. He had nothing in, so he loses nothing.

    8. Rufus calls

      He already has 1 in, so he's 3 short of 4. He calls 3.

      3

    9. Dottie calls

      She has 2 in. Without the straddle she could check here; with it she's 2 short, so she has to call, raise or fold. She calls 2.

      2

    10. You check

      Everyone left has 4 in and nobody raised. Your straddle went in blind, before you could decide anything, so you still get a turn: you can check, or raise, putting in at least 4 more to make it 8. You check, and the flop comes.

    4 players have 4 in front of them each, and the pot holds 16. Had the same 4 players only called the big blind, it would hold 8.

  2. The second betting round

    The flop

    The middle

    K Q 3
    16 Pot

    Your cards

    8 5

    1. Rufus checks

      From the flop on, the order is the usual one: the small blind starts. Nobody has bet on this round, so he checks.

    2. Dottie checks

      She checks too.

    3. You check

      Your turn comes right after the blinds: the straddle doesn't change that. The flop gives you nothing, so you check.

    4. Gale bets

      Walter, the button, folded before the flop, so she acts last on this round. Nobody has bet yet, and she bets 10.

      10

    5. Rufus folds

      He's 10 short. He folds.

    6. Dottie folds

      She folds too.

    7. You fold

      You fold. The 4 chips you put in before the deal stay in the pot.

    Nobody matches her bet, so Gale takes the pot of 16, and the 10 chips she bet go back to her.

    Gale

    Cutoff

    Takes the pot · 16
You put in 4 before seeing your cards, and they were an eight and a five that the flop didn't help. Without the straddle, under the gun pays nothing to fold them. That's what a straddle costs: it puts you in hands you didn't choose.

Is straddling a good idea?

Not as a way to win. A straddle makes the game bigger, not better for you: it puts more chips in, without seeing your cards, from a seat that acts early after the flop. Over many hands, that costs the straddler chips.

  • You pay before you look

    4 chips, twice the big blind, go in before you see your cards, and most of the time they won't be cards you'd have chosen to play.

  • Acting last helps, once

    The last turn before the flop is worth something: you see what everyone else did. But from the flop on you act right after the blinds, before everyone else, on every round.

  • The price doubles

    Playing costs 4 instead of 2 and the smallest raise goes to 8. Pots get bigger, so what you win and what you lose both grow.

So a straddle is a choice about how big the table wants the game to be, not a way to win more. If you're still learning, you don't need it. It's optional, and the few games that make it compulsory say so before you sit down.

Other straddles: house rules that vary

Some card rooms and home games allow other kinds. None of them is part of the basic rules, and each house plays them its own way: if your table uses one, agree on how before the first hand.

  • House rule

    Button or Mississippi straddle

    Some rooms let the straddle come from the button, or from any seat: that's called a Mississippi straddle, and the button is where it's most often put in. The straddler acts last before the flop and, on the button, last after it too. Who acts first depends on the room: the seat after the straddler, which is the small blind when the button straddles, or under the gun as usual, skipping the straddler.

  • House rule

    Re-straddle

    The player to the left of the straddler puts in another blind on top, usually twice the straddle: 8 over a straddle of 4. Now that player acts last before the flop. Rooms differ: some allow none, some one, some several up to a limit.

  • House rule

    Sleeper straddle

    A straddle put in before the deal from a seat after under the gun. It only comes into play if the turn reaches that seat with nobody having raised; in some houses, if someone raises first, it can be taken back. This one changes the most from house to house.

Where you'll see one

Cash games in card rooms Often, with limits
A cash game is one where the blinds never change and players come and go. Many rooms allow a straddle under the gun; some also on the button, and some not at all.
Home games If the table agrees
A game among friends, with rules agreed on beforehand. A straddle is fine if everyone knows it before the first hand.
Tournaments Almost never
The blinds go up on a schedule that's the same for everyone. A straddle would let one player double the price of a hand for the whole table.

How to agree on it at a home game

At home there's no card room to set the rules, so settle five questions out loud before the first hand, with everyone listening:

  1. Do we play with straddles at all? “No” is a fine answer.

  2. Who can straddle: only under the gun, or the button too?

  3. How much: exactly twice the big blind, or more?

  4. Can the next player re-straddle, and how many times?

  5. How it's done: before the cards are dealt, by saying “straddle” and putting the chips in front of you. Once the first card is out, it's too late.

The mix-ups most beginners make

  1. 1

    Calling the big blind

    With a straddle out, the bet to match before the flop is the straddle, not the big blind: 4, not 2. And the smallest raise goes to 8, not 4.

  2. 2

    The big blind checking

    With a straddle, the big blind is 2 short, so they can't check: they call, raise or fold. The one who can check, if nobody raised, is the straddler.

  3. 3

    Straddling after looking

    A straddle goes in before the cards are dealt. Put in 4 after looking at your cards, on your turn, and it isn't a straddle: it's a raise, and you don't get the last turn.

  4. 4

    Moving the order after the flop

    The straddle only changes who acts before the flop. From the flop on, the first player still in to the left of the button starts, usually the small blind, and the button acts last, as in any hand. The straddler acts right after the blinds still in.

Path 1 · 7 lessons · 52 min

The table comes alive

In the course

The straddle builds on the blinds

No lesson teaches the straddle: it's a house rule, not part of the game. What it builds on is in the course: the blinds and who acts first in path 1, “The table comes alive”; who puts in each blind at a home game in path 3; and the seats of a table of six or nine in path 10. Each lesson counts on the ones before it, so the course starts with the cards.

  1. Blinds and button

    You'll know who speaks first on every street, and why, without memorising rules.

    8 min

  2. The button and the blinds Path 3

    You will know where the button goes, who posts each blind and where they move on the next hand.

    7 min

  3. Six and nine Path 10

    You will name the positions at a table of six and at one of nine.

    6 min

Start the course from the beginning See all eighteen paths

Frequently asked questions

How much is a straddle in poker?

Usually twice the big blind: with blinds of 1 and 2, a straddle is 4. Some card rooms and home games allow a bigger one, up to a limit the house sets, so ask before you put one in.

Who acts first when there's a straddle?

Before the flop, the player to the left of the straddler acts first, and the straddler acts last. From the flop on, the order is the usual one: the first player still in to the left of the button acts first, usually the small blind, and the button acts last.

Can the straddler check or raise?

Yes. If nobody has raised when the turn gets back to the straddler, they can check and see the flop, or raise, to a total of 8 at least with a straddle of 4. If someone has raised, the straddler folds, calls or raises, like anyone facing a raise.

Can you straddle in a tournament?

Almost never. In a tournament the blinds go up on a schedule that's the same for everyone, and a straddle would let one player double the price of a hand for the whole table. Straddles belong to cash games, where the blinds never change, and to home games that agree on them.

What is a Mississippi straddle?

A straddle from a seat other than under the gun, most often the button. The straddler acts last before the flop and, on the button, last after it too. Who acts first depends on the room: the seat after the straddler, or under the gun as usual. It's a house rule, so agree on it before the cards are dealt.

Keep going

The table Poker positions The button, the blinds, all nine seats by name and who acts first on each street. Your turn Check, bet, call, raise, fold The five poker actions, and when you can take each one. At home Hosting a poker night What you need, how to deal and the three arguments that always come up.

Before the blinds, the cards

A straddle is one more blind, and a blind is a bet: to follow one, you first need to read your cards and know what betting is. The course starts with the cards and gets to the blinds within its first path, in “Blinds and button”.

First lesson · 6 min The cards Every card has two facts: rank and suit. You'll learn to read both, and which one says which card is worth more. Play now

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