Definition
A voluntary blind bet from the UTG1 position, made by a player before the hole cards are dealt. Its size is fixed at two big blinds. A straddle is usually allowed only in live cash games. The purpose of a straddle is to increase the size of the initial pot and get a chance to win a big pot if a strong hand comes. In the long run, however, straddling is unprofitable, because the player puts chips into the pot without seeing their own cards, which in most cases will not be strong enough to continue in the hand.