Where do you stand on the use of shot clocks in tournament poker?
While most players seem to back the general idea — using timers to enforce steady action and prevent stalling — there are plenty of occasions where they are not as welcome.
And, as covered in a recent article, many feel that Day 7 of the WSOP Main Event is not the best time to suddenly introduce them, without warning.
But that’s just what happened. 20 seconds preflop, 30 seconds postflop, with a handful of time bank cards to deploy at will.
It’s an unexpected move from the WSOP organizers that caught us all off-guard. And while Daniel Negreanu is not one of those organizers, as the most prominent ambassador for GGPoker — the company behind the WSOP — we were keen to hear his personal take on the situation.
And thanks to his daily vlogs, which have been dropping with clockwork regularity throughout the World Series, we didn’t have to wait long to find out.
'Things got crazy'
Negreanu was quick to agree with fellow WSOP reg Shaun Deeb, who voiced his support for the move on Day 7.
And far from feeling the introduction of shot clocks is going to adversely impact recreational players, Negreanu feels the opposite is true.
"It sucks that shot clocks are needed," Negreanu says in his latest vlog, above, "but here's the thing: who's more likely to stall? Professional poker players who understand the value of pay jumps and stealing equity from other players.
"Pros are more aware of this, so a shot clock hurts the pros in that case, which, by definition would help these recreational players we pretend to care so much about."
He also makes the point that giving everyone more time to make decisions would help pros figure out the optimal plays, and that reducing the time available to expert players would actually level the playing field a little more.
"Imagine [if you had] infinite time. Who's more likely to come to the correct decision? A player who's played with solvers and has all the time to count the combos or whatever, or 'Idaho Joe'?
"There's no question that more time helps professional players, which means it hurts recs by definition."
Negreanu also goes into more depth about the impact that excessive stalling, such as that seen in the Main Event on Saturday, has on the integrity of the game. Helping a player at your table get a payjump is also helping yourself get a payjump, he points out, and stealing equity from others in the same tournament.
And as far as whether the WSOP can impose a new restriction partway through the event, Negreanu has done his homework.
"It's clearly stated in Rule 80," he says. "It's only for extenuating circumstances when things get crazy. And things got crazy."
Do you agree?
Check out the full vlog above, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
