In poker, the term “live straddle” refers to the act of not looking at your two hole cards and still raising the bet. This person is generally the first person to act after the big blind and will simply put twice the amount of the big blind down as his or her bet without even looking to see if the cards are worth playing. This is considered a reckless move by other players and will frustrate the others in the hand to no end. Because of the image that this creates, you can use an occasional live straddle to your advantage when you play at a brick and mortar establishment. It is different when you play against players at PartyPoker.net or other online poker sites.
The live straddle confuses people because they do not know if the straddler is a loose cannon or just producing the illusion of being a loose cannon. If you find yourself getting too much attention as a good player, a live straddle can help you to shed this image, but you need to be careful—while you may get lucky occasionally, this type of play usually will produce a loss for you. As such, you should use your best discretion when considering a live straddle. One of the best ways to use this to your advantage is to do this at your first opportunity when you sit down and then never again. First impressions stand out at the poker table and if you start off with a reckless play, you will be more likely to get callers later on in the game when you have strong hands.