In poker, the term “Mississippi straddle” refers to a specific type of straddle that can be posted by a player in any position.
Unlike the traditional straddle, which is committed by the UTG player and players acting behind him, the Mississippi straddle can be made by any player at the table except the blinds. Of course, this is only possible in cash games since tournaments have a fixed structure.
Another key difference between the Mississippi straddle and the traditional straddle is that a player can buy position by placing the Mississippi straddle and play the entire hand being in position. If a player places this type of straddle, the action starts with the player on his direct left.
Finally, like the traditional straddle, the Mississippi straddle is also considered live, meaning that you will be able to make the final decisions even if someone 2-bet or 3-bet before you.
As you can see, if the player making the Mississippi straddle decides to act last, he is creating a strategic advantage for himself through the rest of the hand by seeing the other players' actions before making his decisions.
However, this advantage comes at the cost of investing a large bet in the pot before learning your hole cards. Usually, the Mississippi straddle is twice the size of the big blind.
That said, it is worth noting that while straddles are quite common and allowed in most live cash games, Mississippi straddle is much rarer, so you need to ask the dealer if you can place it. Some online poker sites like GGPoker also allow players to straddle, but every place has different rules, so learn them in advance.
Poker Mississippi Straddle Example:
Let’s say that you are playing $5/$10 No Limit game of Texas Hold’em at the casino, and you decide to post a Mississippi straddle from the CO.
To do this, you must verbally communicate to other players at the table that you are posting a Mississippi straddle and putting $20 (2x BB) into the pot. By doing so, you are forcing the BTN to act first in this poker hand and buying yourself the privilege of acting last for the rest of the hand.
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