How do you adjust opening range when facing a button straddle?

It's not just the button straddle here, but H is really short too. 40 straddles deep, I'm really compressing my range to stuff I don't mind playing for stacks unimproved: big pairs, big suited Aces, maybe KQs. You just aren't going to have any room to maneuver, but you're deep enough that shoving is silly.

Deeper, I think you can go wider pf than normal. There are two fewer opponents to get through with the blinds already gone. Range is going to be closer to CO or even BU than LJ.

At what stack depth is the inflection point? At what stack depth can hero loosen up again facing a button straddle? 200 BB, 80 straddles? 130 BB and 52 straddles?

I am considering a strategy here of limping whole range in the LJ facing the straddle at a stack depth of 100 BB. Isn't that what GG does? Simply call 88+, AQo+, ATs+, A2s-A5s+, KQs, KJs. Hero limps hopes a V raises to 25 so hero can 3bet to 75 with TT+ and AQ+, setting up a low SPR on the flop and an easy shove .

Basically your playing the range you would play if you were only 40bb deep... It's basically just short stack poker your playing, act accordingly.

If it's me, and the button straddle is going round (it's seldom just one person), I am 100% getting involved, and I'm getting some more chips on the table.
Don't know what the table limits are, but if a straddle to 5 is on regular, I want to be playing with 500 in front of me.

I'm sure this tactic is exploitable by very good players, but this is live poker so no need to worry much about that.

As others have said, stack size is an issue. Is it a $200 cap?

Anyway, I often like to minraise the button straddle. I think that it makes life unpleasant for most players and as button straddles stink, I want to make their lives hard.

What do you do with 92 suited or J-6 off or a million other garbage hands facing a min raise on a button straddle? You either have to fold to a min raise, which is annoying, or take tons of flops with trash, which is also annoying. If he takes flops he is going to be in difficult situations all the time, flopping middle pair, no kicker, crappy gutshots etc. and lots of nothing. Just think for a moment about how poorly equipped the average player is to deal with these novel situations. Let's say he defends with Q4 off. The BB is going to call very wide. SB might call wide too. The flop is Qx7d8d. SB checks naturally and could have anything. You C-bet. Already, this is a gruesome spot.

And when he calls pre, he has to worry about squeezes.

Since your raises are about the same size they would normally be, I don't think you need to adjust your opening range much. You can probably adjust to him after a few times, depending on how he reacts to your min raises, how he plays post, if someone behind him gets squeeze happy, etc.

Depends on the button straddler and how he plays. If he's aggressive limp reraising at these stack depths is really good. If he's not then small opening is pretty good.

I don’t think it’s necessary to change your range, because the extra money is offset by the fact that you have already seen actions from the SB and BB.

Most players that straddle are just throwing extra money out there. But there are some strong players that will strategically use this advantage (can’t limp against them) and put you in bad spots.

I’m not much impressed with the button straddle, but if someone to my right is trying to make me act first from the button, I will take my priority & straddle myself.

Sometimes I straddle when re-entering the game from a break

Kinda like the min-raise idea ES2, as I think it forces the button to play straight-forward and not just raise the limpers with anything.

Not sure seeking a heuristic is helpful, because straddles happen in many ways. Sometimes everyone is doing it, other times it’s one player. Adjusting your range has more to do with the player(s) involved, than the straddle itself.

What about raise sizing? What SPR do you want on the flop with 40 straddles, and with which hands?

Obvious solution to defend the straddle is to buy in for 100 straddles.

However, 200 BB is sadly sometimes the effective stack, already bad in a raked game. I’m thinking about moving up to 1/3 or 2/5. I’m not bankrolled to buy in for 1k.

Ugh.

I'm never playing 100BB's deep, or in a game with a BTN straddle. I'd rather smash my nuts flat with a wooden mallet.

If I was forced to play in this game, my opening range from any position would entirely depend on who's left to act and my reads of them.

I may not raise 66+, all those suited A's and AJo/KQo, not because they're sub-par hands, but rather because we're only 100BB's deep, and with the rake, I'm just going to be sitting there playing like a miserable nit-reg, waiting for hands I can take to war.

I think I'd have a polar opening range - hands that would be thrilled to get it in pre, and hands that can raise-fold without a second thought. It's hard for me to wrap my head around raise-folding playing 100BB's deep with this atrocious rake, so my range would be so nitty that I'd want to just go home.

Best thing to happen to most of us is that they only have 1/3 on the regular. With a 500 buyin, it’s big enough and much, much softer than 2/5. More fun action players doing silly things

Mostly like it because ‘nobody cares how tight I play’ - I can fold for hours, then 3bet to 50 pre and get several callers. It’s a game spotted with good players to avoid, but loaded with players with more money than sense.

You can be conservative with your bankroll. It’s easier to double up a 200 stack as there’s simply more action. However, it took me some time to develop the skills and exploits. If you play like everyone else, there’s no help for you.

Straddles mostly identify bad players, I don’t discourage them. This is the player that pays you off when you’re loaded. This is the player that is inelastic with calls, the player with FPS, the player that doesn’t care about math.

You’re asking for specifics, but the situations are all different. The straddle will not beat you. Don’t beat yourself by worrying about it. Just play strong poker and let the straddlers beat themselves.

In the specific situation you’re in, I might open way wider vs some fos straddlers and push them off their random hand. Others may be more dangerous, using very aggressive play and it’s better to get out of their way (fold the unsuited paint) than be put in a bad spot.

FWIW - almost never folding any pair or suited ace in 1/3 without maximum pressure. Sure, you fold when you miss, but if you hit your hand, this is the game where they pay you off. Lose several small pots, then win a boatload - kinda the essence of no limit poker.

Great advice. I’ll have some responses soon.

Should I

move up to 1/3 but then face 6 straddle for a 600 buy in

Learn to play 40BB effective, just like in tournaments.

Embrace high variance.

The straddle going from 2.5X to 2X is going to matter. 52 ~= 40, AFA I'm concerned. Sameish range. 80-100 or more straddles, I'm mixing in more SCs, lower PPs: more of a "normal" range, though always cognizant of keeping my IO high enough.

At 40bb/straddles w/e, any open that I'm not comfortable stacking off with is going to be very restricted, and is going to have blockers with some nut potential post-flop (though I really want them to fold). A4s-type stuff. Only doing that if everyone starts instafolding to my open or 3!.

For SPR @40, let's look at a toy 1-3->6 with a BU straddle. Blinds fold, two limps to H. Pot is therefore 22 at this point. Nearly 10% of H's stack, and nothing's really happened. A pot-sized raise would be to 34. If BU defends, and limpers leave, that means the pot will be 84 minus rake on the flop. H will have 206 back.

H is nearly always going to be in a situation where SPR <3, and usually 2 or less. On the one hand, that really negates the value of position; OTOH, H is going to be playing a lot of "chicken" depending on the flop.

Learn Kelly Criterion, risk-of-ruin math, and determine for yourself your own level of appropriate risk for your bankroll. Then you'll know whether you can risk this buyin, and you won't have more than the usual anxiety we all feel when putting our money in.

The 6 straddle with 100 straddle buy-ins is what I would do. More flexibility, more room for interesting play, less stack commitment pressure Every VPIP. But only if I felt at peace with the prospect of losing $1800-2400, even if I did everything right.