A straddle is an optional blind bet placed before seeing cards, usually double the big blind.
Explanation. A live straddle comes from the player immediately to the left of the big blind putting in an extra blind—commonly twice the BB—before the cards are dealt. The term signals pre-action aggression and increases pot size. Straddling gives positional rent and encourages looser action, mostly used in cash games. Understanding straddle impact helps adapt opening and 3‑bet frequencies.