A 'Shot Clock' for Poker?

Let me start this column by saying, I love the World Poker Tour and what it has done for the game of poker. Having said that, I am very opposed to its one-minute shot clock in certain situations. Before I go into my argument, I must admit that I take a lot of time when I think a decision is important. I define an important decision as one that can cost you all of your chips, especially when you have money invested in the pot. There are plenty of times when you may have the best hand at the time, but don't want to risk your entire stack. Don't forget that there is a huge luck factor in poker.

Those who like the shot clock will say that it speeds up the game and takes away the "human factor" of calling for a clock. I agree completely that it speeds up the game. There are plenty of times that certain players take too long on every hand. When that happens, it may cause that table to get in fewer hands per hour, which puts everyone at that table at a disadvantage. I do not, however, agree with the concept of taking away the human element of calling for a clock. If you want a clock to be called on a player, you should be able to call for it. In fact, I think it should be announced as to who calls a clock on a player. However, this column is about having an appropriate amount of time when making important decisions.

Poker tournaments are becoming so big that there are times when players are making a million-dollar decision. In the real world, a businessman is not going to make a million-dollar decision in a minute. It could take months for him to do a proper analysis. Of course, there may be many more factors to consider when it comes to making the business decision.

Let's take a look at a real situation. There are many times when it is down to a few tables in a tournament and you raise with a hand like J-J or Q-Q and someone moves in on you. You may have 25 percent of your stack in the pot at the time. There is a chance your opponent has A-A or K-K, in which case you are in deep trouble. He may have a smaller pair, in which case you have him dominated. He may have A-K, which is a coin toss. Or, he may be making a stone-cold bluff. In these situations, I first like to do the math to see if it makes sense to call if I think I am an underdog in the hand, or if I have pot odds to call. Pot odds may take me a minute alone to calculate. I then consider what this player has been doing for the past few hours, or in previous hands against me, and think about his betting patterns. This takes me a few minutes to figure out. Finally, I look for a tell. I am of the opinion that it takes a few minutes to get a tell from someone. At that point, I think I have all of the information that is needed to make a good decision. Then, I must decide whether it is worth it to commit all of my chips. Thus, I see many circumstances in which a decision could take five minutes for a full and proper analysis.

So, what am I proposing? I propose that players who stall should be warned and penalized, because the game does need to speed up a little. I think there should be a five-minute clock if most of your chips are at stake. I also like the option of a time bank, like the online poker sites have. Thus, if you are a chronic staller, you can do it only a few times, and if you really have a big decision to make for a lot of money, you can use your allotted time bank. Hopefully, this will be considered by the proper people someday.