Daniel Negreanu has hailed the introduction of chess clocks on the Triton Poker Tour as a "game-changer for poker."
The Triton Tempo was unveiled at the ongoing Triton Jeju stop and introduced by tournament director Luca Vivaldi on Saturday.
Vivaldi said it's a "fully networked chess clock system, pushing the boundaries of live tournament poker."
The Triton Tempo system gives each player a time bank for the entire tournament, allowing them to allocate their time as they see fit.
When action is on a player, their name, seat number, and the time they have left to act are clearly visible to the table. It’s a granular system that lets players take exactly as much time as they need to make a decision within the allotted limits. If a player needs an extra five seconds, they can use it without having to burn an entire time-bank chip, which is typically worth 30 seconds.
The earlier you enter the tournament, the larger your starting time bank. Additional time is also added as players progress deeper into the event.
The remaining time banks for every player are visible on the Triton Plus app, so you can see which players are under pressure and which players have more time to use.
Negreanu responded to the Triton announcement on X, posting, "I've been wanting to see this implemented for a long time, an innovative game changer for poker. Shot clocks help, but chess clocks are a much more fair and equitable system."
You can watch a video on how Triton Tempo works in the post below.
Could chess clocks come to the WSOP?
Chess clocks work differently from standard shot clocks, which give you a set time to act and time extension chips if you go over.
Chess clocks give you a total bank of time to use, and you can dip into this whenever you want, giving you more control while incentivizing quicker decisions.
Negreanu has long called for their introduction to poker. In an interview with PokerOrg last year, the GGPoker pro called out stalling and said, "Every sport deals with time differently, but all sports (including poker) need to have fair rules for all. Using time to stall and suck equity away from others is a black mark on the game, and one day I hope chess clocks become a reality."
Other players were quick to praise Triton Tempo, including Jason Koon who said, "This is really cool."
Will it lead to chess clocks being introduced on other major tours and potentially the WSOP? Do you think that would be a good idea? Let us know in the comments below.
