[bav]

I had exactly this debate with someone when the topic of re-straddles came up. Restraddles aren't allowed anywhere I know of in Vegas, but folks were debating their merits and I asked "so if I straddle, I'm gonna be kinda ticked if you re-straddle and take away my last action, so I'd just pull back my straddle." Folks tried to tell me I couldn't do that--that once it is put out there I'm bound to it. Yet when I asked why the straddle should be treated differently than the blinds, where you can ALWAYS pick up and leave if you change your mind about playing the hand prior to the cards starting, they had no answer.

Basically folks just fire with their opinions first and think later. IMHO, OF COURSE you can take back your straddle before the cards are in the air. If I start to straddle, and then 4 people pick up and leave, or 4 new players show up, or the lone fish at the table walks off, the conditions have changed and I'm gonna re-evaluate. You think I can't put a wager on the blackjack table, and then rethink it prior to the cards going into the air?

As for raking a chop, California poker is different than most anywhere else. No, they do not rake a chopped pot in Vegas. And most (but not all) have a "no flop, no drop" policy. California poker rooms are greedy bastages.