Images courtesy of PokerGO Tour
Once cards have been dealt, players then have a bigger pot to fight for, plus an additional player who has already committed their chips.
Often used in cash games, this week saw PokerGO include the straddle as part of their tournament structure, permitting what many players recognize as a cash game action in tournament poker.
A recent post on X by the six-time WSOP bracelet winner and PokerGO regular Jeremy Ausmus prompted a deep discussion in the poker world about straddles.
To find out whether they’re a popular addition to PokerGO tournaments, we spoke to the Director of Live Events and Content for PokerGO, Tim Duckworth.
How PokerGO Introduced the Live Straddle
The addition of straddles in a PokerGO tournament this week has caused quite a stir, with some players advocating them and others not. We wanted to know how the decision to introduce them came about.
Non-live straddles have always been a part of our events for many seasons, says Tim. Especially in the PGT PLO Series, where often tables will do a round or two of them. However, making them live really came about through the persuasion of the players, and Tournament Director Paul Campbell wanting to test it in a one-off event.
Driving the action in cash game shows on PokerGO, such as High Stakes Poker and No Gamble, No Future, we can certainly see the appeal from a fan’s perspective. Players like Jeremy Ausmus are clearly fans too, and the WSOP legend is more of a tournament player than a cash game regular. Tim says feedback has varied among other players on the PokerGO Tour (PGT).
I think the reaction was mixed among the players. It definitely creates more action, which appeals to a plethora of our high-stakes player pool. But then to others, it makes the game shallower and increases the likelihood they could bust earlier due to an increase in marginal spots.
Many players said they loved the idea of the live straddle and suggested that they could become a staple in PGT majors such as the PokerGO Cup, U.S. Poker Open, Poker Masters, or Super High Roller Bowl series. Tim sees a slightly different immediate future for them, however.
I see them falling in line with our PGT PLO Series, something more niche like a Bounty Series or even a dedicated ‘gambly’ type series that includes straddles, run it twice options, and a unique top-heavy payout structure. Imagine No Gamble, No Future… the tournament series.
Could Straddles ‘Un-Solve’ No Limit Hold’em Poker?
When Jeremy Ausmus raised the question of whether straddles should be a part of tournament series, one of the PGT’s regular players, Nick Palma, provided the counterpoint, saying: ‘Don’t like it. A poker tourney is a poker tourney, and a cash game is a cash game.’
I’m a poker purest, so I side with Nick 100% on this, Tim tells us. I don’t like the idea of introducing straddles in poker tournaments. However, the PGT has always been willing to adapt, and every season we tweak structures or rules to benefit the players.
If the majority of players would like to see straddles adopted into our tournament structures, we will add them. The PGT always wants to do what is best for its players.
That attitude is what brings players back to PGT time and time again. Along with the Triton Poker Series, there isn’t a more popular high stakes series in the world. Another player had stronger feedback on the format, though, with Katie Stone saying: ‘Don’t you think bringing over something designed to encourage action, kind of contradicts some of the fundamental elements about why tournaments exist?’
Tim doesn’t disagree with what players such as Katie have said, but sees a hidden benefit to the affecting new element to play a straddle brings.
Chris DeMaci had a good tweet that something like this can disrupt players’ perfect strategies and shake-up the solved nature that No-Limit Hold’em has become. From that point of view, that is a good thing. However, we know how smart these high-stakes players are, and they will eventually solve adding a straddle in a similar way to a third blind for cash games.
Tim doesn’t believe that the fundamental element of tournament poker is against encouraging action. After all, there are traditional blinds and antes, which aren’t dissimilar to the straddle. Without them, where would we be?
There would be no blinds and antes, and the levels wouldn’t increase, says Tim. I think it’s more about offering a product that appeals to players, just like some players love mystery bounty events, while others don’t play them. Some people want to play slow-structured events, others want faster turbos.
Everyone has a particular flavor of tournament poker they want, and if the PGT – or any poker tour – incorporates straddles or anything else new, it’s also about offering a balance of options for all players.
Where Can We Expect More Straddles?
As the PGT looks to incorporate them more, where can fans expect to see the straddle in upcoming events? Tim has a clear and definitive answer on that front.
They were only used for the first four levels of Event #4, the $5,100-entry No-Limit Hold’em event, of the 2026 PokerGO Cup. Once this series is over, we’ll review where we may add [them]. We also need to review how long straddles are optional for.
I could see a world where we use them only while registration is open, but maybe you could argue that four or eight levels is too long, and maybe it should be in play for one or two levels.
The possibility of industry-wide straddles in tournaments seems a long way off, but like so many innovations in poker, if players react positively to changes, they are often incorporated in a wider sense by multiple operators. In short, if it works, it grows, just like we’ve witnessed the growth of PLO, the almost instantaneous adoption of the ‘big blind ante’ and other innovative progressions within the game.
I do agree with some of the players that they probably don’t belong in the PGT majors, Tim concedes. If the PGT Bounty Blitz returns post-WSOP, I could see them added to that series, and I think for the PGT PLO Series later in the year, I could see them implemented.
As for the upcoming PGT PLO Series at Venetian Las Vegas, for events outside of the PokerGO Studio, I think that decision really falls on that poker room’s staff.
The live straddle may well be here to stay, and with arguments to be made on both sides of the fence, players look unsure of exactly where they sit on the prospect of playing tournaments with the straddle in play. One thing is for sure – if the straddle is here to stay, you’ll know where you saw it first.
