The TDA was created to protect players
The rules that have been created and adopted are there to protect players from angle shooting, and to create a fair and reasonable playing environment for all.
The current state of the rules surrounding the clock and in particular a players ability to manipulate it in poker is such that it allows players to take advantage. It allows for angle shooting, and it impacts the game in a negative manner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MGZM320LGoThis clip is a classic example - a player should not be able to bend the rules to this amount and as such place unfair stress and gameplay on the other players, who have clearly been impacted from his play.
Dancing around the topic is not fair - Chess and every other major mind sport regulates the game with the use of a timer.
It is time for all tournament poker events to feature a shot clock, timer or whatever you would like to call it.
It does not need to be some expensive gadget - it does not need to be the world’s most advanced watch. The Crown $250K buy-in event used a shot clock that cost $5 at any kitchen supply store. This event featured the world’s top poker professionals, and there were no complaints.
If this type of rule is good enough for the world’s best, who surely most players are aiming to be - then why can we not all agree to adopt it across the world?
Why can we not act in unity, and adopt what is clearly the most obvious rule adjustment to the TDA since it’s inception?
Matt Savage and other members of the T.D.A. I encourage you to please rectify this huge anomaly within our sport, and adopt shot clock rules that can be rolled out across the world.
I will even go so far as to give you a draft of the rule so that you can then open it up to debate from all TDA members.
NEW TDA RULE - PLAYER ACTION - SHOT CLOCK
When action is upon a player, they will have a fixed, pre-determined amount of time to act. If a player is facing a bet and their time has expired, then their hand is declared dead. If a player is NOT facing a bet and their time has expired, they will be held to a forced check.
Tournament organizers are responsible to allocating the duration of the time bank prior to an event starting. (NOTE - At the Speed Poker events that were ran both in Estonia in Europe and the World Championships at Crown in Australia, we gave players a 15 second bank for each decision.)
Tournaments may include the use of a time-extension button. The length of this extension and the number of buttons allocated to each player shall be set by the tournament organizers prior to the commencement of the event.
NOW OPERATIONALLY - THE MOST IMPORTANT FACT, AND THE ONE THAT I THINK HAS SCARED A LOT OF CARD ROOMS OFFHow is the shot clock implemented? Easily that is how. Players do not need to have an exact clock activated by some form of technology or expensive set up. (I saw something that mortified me at the WPT a while back - some monstrous gadget inserted into the table! WTF) The easiest way to implement a shot clock is with a cheap $5 kitchen timer that can be pre-set.
The next most important aspect is that the dealers must count the first 5 seconds for any players action in their head first. This is a very important fact, as it reduces the need for dealers to constantly be pressing buttons while they are trying to deal the game. Every dealer that dealt Speed Poker was quickly able to adapt to this new rule change, and players also adopted to it very quickly.
If a player has not acted in the 5 seconds the dealer counts in their head - then the DEALER will call time, and start the pre-set clock. In the case of Speed Poker, the shot clock would then count down 10 seconds - with the dealer counting the last 5 seconds out loud.
The only reason I can see for this rule to not be adopted yet is lack of knowledge on how to handle this simple problem and the above simple solution.
Matt Savage and the other TDA members - it's time to institute the shot clock rule.
In this article by Eric Fast - he highlights the reality of the major misconception at the end.
http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/20212-wpt-tournament-of-champions-decision-to-use-poker-shot-clock-sparks-debate"The downsides of a shot clock include the logistical problems involved with implementing them into the game and the initial cost for the casino or tour."Completely
do not agree with this statement - having seen the above solution not only implemented in the world's biggest buy-in event, but it was so successful, they they rolled it out to the cash games as well. Statement and argument is invalid.
"Dealers and floor staff will need to be trained to handle the additional job responsibilities. The additional time pressure might dissuade amateur players, some argue, and conversely might rob expert players of the time they need to make their best decisions."
Also vehemently disagree with this statement - dealers are the perfect people to institute the above, they are supposed to be watching the action anyway - why not give them the easy task of counting to 5? Floor staff now no longer need to do anything, with the one exception being making rulings on when players time expired or didn't - and even then it's up to the dealer to monitor this.
If players would like more time - then they should play in events with a longer time bank. You will find that for 95% of the decisions - 5 seconds is more than enough - for those decisions where you need more time - then that is where the time extension button comes into play.
Cmon guys - it's 2016 - can you please fix this horrendous state of affairs?
HUX
