Many casino cash poker games are started with, or evolve to have, a "mandatory" straddle. That is, the entire table agrees to put on a semi-permanent straddle, with the expectation that everybody will do it. For example, a $2/$5 no-limit hold'em game gets started. The players who start the game agree that there will be a "mandatory" $10 under-the-gun (UTG) straddle. Now it's a $2/$5/$10 game, with an effective $10 big blind.
Is this the best way to increase the stakes of the game, if this is what the players want?
My answer: Nope.
For the last three years, I've been playing regularly in a $3/$5 no-limit hold'em game at the local poker room. A large percentage of the time, there's a ladies' and gentlemen's agreement that there will be a $10 "winner straddle" (sometimes called a "rock"). Whoever wins the pot posts a $10 straddle in whatever position they're in, and action starts one to their left. This practice can continue for hours, from basically the moment the table is opened until it breaks.
But too often, one or more players choose not to post the straddle. Then one of two things happens: either somebody else picks up the straddle, or the next hand is dealt without a straddle. Then the winner of that hand takes the straddle back and the game goes back to having the winner straddle. Either way, there's muttering and grumbling around the table. It definitely harms the good vibes at the table.
Not taking a "mandatory" straddle is an angle
A player who doesn't take a "mandatory" straddle is stealing money from the rest of the table, more or less. Imagine a poker game where you didn't have to post the big blind. This is exactly what such a player is doing. Consider that the effective big blind in a mandatory straddle game is the size of the straddle – in my case, $10. If the non-straddler wins four pots per hour (about par) then that's $40 in "blinds" they don't pay. But to the degree that another player at the table picks up the straddle, money is moving from the back-up straddler to the non-straddler.
There are various reasons why people choose not to take the straddle, but it's clear that most of them understand that they're gaining a financial edge by doing it. One studious-looking guy (who, thankfully, isn't a regular in our room) was asked why he didn't take the straddle. I don't remember his exact words, but the gist was, "It's worth money to me, I'm not breaking any rules, and y'all let me get away with it, so I do it."
The problem is that "mandatory" isn't
The underlying problem is that the poker room staff can't, and won't, enforce a rule that's not there. If the plaque says you're playing $3/$5 no-limit holdem, then they won't deal you in if you don't post your $5 big blind, but they'll say absolutely nothing if you don't post a "mandatory" straddle.
Any poker game (or tournament table, for that matter) will have different dynamics and vibes as players come and go. Maybe the winner straddle is working like a Swiss watch for three hours, but then Ralph sits down. Ralph hasn't taken a straddle in 25 years, and isn't about to start now. Now Mike, the action player, says "Hey folks, if we're not straddling, I've got better things to do," and gets up. Next thing you know, a perfectly fine poker game is in danger of collapsing.
Is this Ralph's fault? Well, sorta. Ralph probably knows they've had the straddle on for three hours. The table knows that Ralph hasn't straddled since the Clinton administration. The poker room staff knows both of those things, but their hands are tied.
There's an easy fix
Unlike many things in life, there's an easy fix for the problem: remove the straddle and put the desired structure right there on the table plaque. In our case, it could say "$5 small blind, $10 big blind." For clarity, you could also specify "No straddles permitted" on the plaque. That would prevent the game from morphing into a $5/$10/$20 game. This might displease Ralph, but I'm happy to lay long odds that Ralph will still play the game. He obviously wants to play for those stakes – he was just happy to not pay the effective big blind, given the option. He'll pay the $10 big blind when it comes around, promise.
When the structure of a poker game is set by a constantly shifting cast of characters, you should expect hiccups and friction. But hiccups and friction are antithetical to a smooth happy poker game. Ryan Beauregard, who runs the Wynn poker room, figured this out and removed straddles from his mid-stakes hold'em games.
More happy poker players, less friction. Who doesn't want that?
