WPT Action Clock

Live Poker ‘Action Clock’ Earns Spot in WPT Main Tour Events

Move to encourage speedy play receives positive player feedback. The World Poker Tour has announced the incorporation of Protection Poker‘s Action Clock into its main tour events starting with the $3,500 + $200 buy-in WPT Choctaw this Friday, and continuing throughout the entire Season XVI televised coverage schedule. “The World Poker Tour is proud to be the first to implement the Action Clock across all of its Main Tour events,” said WPT Executive Tour Director Matt Savage in a statement aimed at addressing operator and player frustration towards excessive tanking in live poker tournaments. “With the Action Clock, more action equals more fun, and who doesn’t want more fun in poker?” TwoPlusTwo NVG forum contributor and professional player Allen ‘Chainsaw’ Kessler (known online as doublejoker) brought the news to the community board shortly after the official announcement, and so far feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Great, Hopefully they’ll extend it to the full tournament in future,” offered $4 million live poker tournament cash prize winner and hedge fund manager Talal ‘raidalot’ Shakerchi. Veteran 2+2 forum poster LimpDitka of Buffalo concurred by adding, “It’s about time, but honestly why is this the exception and not the norm?” Tournament director Matt Savage, who has over 5,000 posts on the world’s largest poker forum along with a growing social media presence, reassured players via the same thread that the WPT will continue to evaluate how the Action Clock affects actual play and adjust accordingly. “The Action Clock is easy to use but picking a spot where to start it is the toughest decision.”

Matt Savage talks with Phil Hellmuth (WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star)

The move to incorporate the Action Clock (a trademark property of Protection Poker; subsidiary of Gaming Advancement Marketing Entertainment) into all WPT main events for Season XVI has — to little surprise — drawn the ire of poker pro and perennial time-taker Jordan Cristos. “Deciphering 20 variable equations for hundreds of k’s in less than 30 seconds is not the way poker should be played,” argued the WPT Season XII Legends of Poker champion via Twitter.

Action Clock Details, Use in WPT Events

According to the World Poker Tour website, the Action Clock will be implemented once major WPT events play down to one table away from the money bubble, and will be managed by individual dealers at each table. At that point, players will have a 30-second time bank to make decisions by default, along with four “time extension chips” (each worth an additional 30 seconds) to be used at their discretion. https://twitter.com/RyanFeePoker/status/891723319514349568 The amount of time extensions per player will reset to six when the tournament has reached the final three tables, and will subsequently increase to eight per player at the beginning of final table action. WPT Main Events will also switch to 8-handed play once branded tournaments reach the final 10 tables.

WPT Choctaw Main Event Begins Friday

Choctaw Casino & Resort — Durant, Oklahoma

The WPT Season XVI Choctaw Main Event kicks off this Friday, August 4th with No Limit Hold’em tournament action live from Durant, Oklahoma boasting a guaranteed prize pool of $2,000,000 USD. The Action Clock, which has already been in use during the past two World Poker Tour Tournament of Champions events, will make its Choctaw debut on Sunday, August 6th when the money bubble approaches.

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Home > Live Poker ‘Action Clock’ Earns Spot in WPT Main Tour Events
Home > Live Poker ‘Action Clock’ Earns Spot in WPT Main Tour Events
About the Author
David Huber

David Huber

David Huber (known as "dhubermex" online) has been involved in the poker industry for more than a decade. He currently assists several poker and gaming entities as a researcher, writer, and consultant. Former Editor-in-Chief & Head Moderator of online tournament rankings site PocketFives (2006-2011).

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