A Mississippi Straddle is a type of blind bet placed preflop equal to two times the big blind. It's completely voluntary to place a Mississippi Straddle; no one is ever forced to do it. Unlike a regular straddle, the Mississippi Straddle can be placed from any position at the table, not just under the gun. In most cases, the Mississippi Straddle overrides the normal flow of the action, and the person to the left of the straddle must go first preflop. This means that the straddle acts last, and if there has not yet been a raise, he or she can check or raise just as the big blind would in a normal round of preflop poker. In a few card rooms, the action starts under the gun like normal, but it skips over the person with the Mississippi Straddle, only returning back to that individual after all others have acted.