Calling The Clock

When Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson and Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu start voicing a similar opinion then it’s time for the poker world to stop and pay attention. It seems that the two legends of the game are putting their full support behind the introduction of a poker shot clock.

During the live stream coverage of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event there was a mini outcry, on Twitter, about the amount of time taken by players when making their decisions, with Jesse Sylvia coming in for the most aggressive attention.

“If there was any doubt about the need for a clock in poker this is exhibit A. This is painstakingly tilting for casual viewers.” Tweeted Negreanu.

“Sorry guys. Too slow for me to watch poker hands. Hope we get a clock soon, much better.” Tweeted Brunson.

The pace of play has certainly slowed in recent times and it seems that the biggest culprits are the younger players, despite many of them starting out at Online Poker Tournaments, which often have a clock.

Going into the tank is not an unusual custom but these days it has become par for the course to tank when sitting on 50BB and being the recipient of a three-bet from the big blind. There really is no need for so much time to be taken up and it does make the game impossible to transfer from online sites such as Betfair to the small screen.

You only have to look at the world of soccer – and the debate surrounding goal line technology – to see how institutions do not like change. So it is great to see two of the very best, and respected names in poker, voicing a positive opinion on what could be a landmark change in the game.