In a world where most poker players treat high noon like a vampire’s crack of dawn, high-stakes crusher Seth Davies has jolted the community awake with a call to rise and shine – heaven forbid — at an actual morning hour.
“The industry is due for a paradigm shift in tourney start times," posted Davies last week. "Starting a tourney at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, and playing really late is rough. Almost no one likes it, pros and recs alike. Let's start tourneys at 10am. Finish at a reasonable time. If you bust early you can still have the evening free.”
Could Seth Davies' shift be a game-changer?
We’ll concede this to Seth: The ancient proverb does say, 'The early bird gets the worm,' meaning those who show up early gain EV and a better chance at success. No doubt the wise sages had poker in mind when uttering those prophetic words. .
But the $1,000,000 question is: Does that kind of wisdom translate to poker tournaments, and more importantly, to poker players stubbornly stuck in their ways?
What came next on X in response was fast and furious; at times poignant, considered, or bizarrely absurd.
Numerous pros and recreational players jumped on board Seth’s call-to-action, praising the idea of 'civilized' start times.
Meanwhile, the sleep-deprived night grinders hit the snooze button hard on any paradigm shift scheduled before lunch.
Who said what, and why?
Yay 👍
PokerStars Team Pro Jason Koon immediately gave the idea an emphatic thumbs up.
Nay 👎
Albert @Zero_Votes Destrade snapped back at Koon with the polar opposite regarding what poker’s all about to him.
"For goodness sake what the actual f**k. Guys, poker and “health goals” are as incongruent as lamb and tuna fish."
Yay 👍
Phil Hellmuth — the all-time WSOP bracelet leader — told PokerOrg he’s fully on board with Seth’s proposal. “I love the 10am starts! As long as there is a 12 noon or 1pm restart, I support it.”
Nay 👎
WSOP Main Event 2024 Champion Jonathan Tamayo has a different idea: "Start at noon, decrease starting stack out by midnight instead of 2am like 2008 WSOP structures (1500s were also ITM in 8 hours but you still got 3 days of an event if you went all the way)."
Yay 👍
Jonathan Little, a WPT POY, member of the PokerOrg Player Advisory Board and founder of Pokercoaching.com, threw out a couple of options worth considering: "Noon with no dinner break by a mile imo. 10am with no dinner break would be my second choice."
Nay 👎
Cyril D wants to have his cake and to eat it too:
"I want to hit the gym in the morning and play tennis not wake up and play so 12 or 2 is ok just finish by 9."
Yay 👍
WSOP Main Event 2014 Champion Martin Jacobson had an even wackier idea: Start the day even earlier.
Nay 👎
Leo Clavel’s response to Jacobson: “9am?? What are we, farmers???”
Yay 👍
Bay101 Casino has been doing this for a while: "I guess we’ve been ahead of the curve the last 20 years."
Nay 👎
Jambasket seems severely tilted by whining millionaires.
Yay 👍
Doug Polk kept it short and sweet: "100%"
Nay 👎
Amanda Baker: "Counterpoint: Gamblers tend to be night owls"
Yay 👍
David Peters opened a can of worms, as he shared the possible logistics nightmare to PokerOrg.
“I prefer earlier start times and earlier end times but it would need to be universal. Bouncing from casino to casino with different start and end times is tricky so everyone would have to be on board for it to work.”
Hayley Hanna chimed in after Peters with a totally different logistical problem.
“Since my Mom moved, I have no consistent child care or help; I rarely will be playing much live for awhile. Earlier times would be better because I could have Preston in daycare when I play. I don’t think there are any day cares open past 7 PM so super late end times aren’t practical for me.”
All-in
The self-appointed Campaign Czar, Bob Mather, seems to be fully in Seth and Jason’s corner, propping them up for the President and VP of Poker.
We hope the pressure doesn’t crush Mather’s wet dreams, as politics can be a thankless venture for anyone. Just watch FoxNews or read CNN, Bob.
Meanwhile, Wretchy had perhaps the most on-the-nose response of all.
"Tell me you’re getting close to 40 without telling me."
What do you think?
The yays seem to outnumber the nays by far, but that could change in an instant.
Are Poker’s leading tours' ears burning, and will they take heed and make changes in 2026?
Are you an early bird or a late riser? Comment below.
