Shot Clock Stance Reversed by WSOP on Eve of Main Event Final Table

Only 72 hours before the start of the biggest poker final table of the year, the goalposts have been moved back to Days 1-6 in the WSOP Main Event. Ditching the shot clock that came into play for Days 7 and 8, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) officials have announced that the final table will play out as it has in every other year of the 56 there has been a Main Event finale, with no time restrictions in place.

Why Was the Shot Clock Introduced?

This year’s WSOP Main Event takes place over three weeks since the final nine players were confirmed. Where once players who made the final table would have to wait until November, that period ended in 2017 when players played the Main Event through from start to finish with just a day off in between to compose themselves.

The new period of cooling off between reaching the WSOP Main Event final table is just over three weeks and gives players time to catch their breath, invite their families over to Las Vegas to watch them play for the title and prepare for the action. There isn’t enough time for studying or poker coaching to have any massive effect that changes the player that person’s opponents might face, either.

The shot clock had never been a part of the WSOP Main Event in its 57-year history. That was, until Day 6 of this year’s World Championship. Loren Klein stalled for 15 minutes on a single decision and due to complaints made at the time, the powers that be acted. Declaring that there would be a shot clock on Days 7 and 8 to prevent such tactics, players had to shift focus to a faster format of No Limit hold’em mid-tournament.

The WSOP had made the change to stop stalling and it had worked, but it came with the consequence of the playing field dramatically changing for two days play up to the final table.

Why Have the WSOP Removed the Shot Clock for the Final Table?

“Our goal is to create the most natural playing environment possible.”

When the shot clock was announced, many players and fans reacted without considering why it was being implemented. It was done specifically to remove the element of stalling and make the final two days of action before the final table as free-flowing as possible. Observers pointed out that in those two days, professionals who are more used to playing with shot clocks would have an advantage and they may have been correct, but that’s not how Days 7 or 8 played out. Shaun Deeb, Brock Wilson and even the 2019 world champion Hossein Ensan all busted in those levels, meaning only two players who have experience of winning bracelets remain in the final nine, those being Michael Gagliano and Greg Mueller, who have won seven WSOP titles between them.

The decision to reverse the use of shot clocks now that the threat of stalling to make the next table break is sensible given there is only one table now left in the tournament.

Here’s how the decision was announced by the WSOP in a statement on X.

“After discussions with players and tournament staff, we’ve made the collective decision not to use a shot clock at next week’s WSOP Main Event Final Table. As outlined in the Official Tournament Rules, players may call the clock if they believe an opponent is taking an unreasonable amount of time to act. Tournament staff also retains the authority to call the clock, but we expect to exercise that discretion only in exceptional circumstances while remaining neutral. If repeated or excessive stalling negatively impacts the pace of play, WSOP reserves the right to introduce a shot clock. Our goal is to create the most natural playing environment possible, giving players the time they need to make the biggest decisions of the tournament.”

Players React to Change Made

The decision to remove the shot clock element that was introduced on Day 6 before the final was mostly received positively by players. Main Event finalist Adam Hendrix commended the WSOP on their choice to remove the aforementioned shot clock, while the two-time WSOP bracelet winner Barny Boatman agreed on X, saying, “Congratulations on a very good decision.”

The final three days of the Main Event will be shown on ESPN in the United States and Warner Bros. partners around this world between August 3-5. This expansion in terms of  worldwide broadcast make it potentially the biggest Main Event ever to be screened on terrestrial television.

While none of the finalists have said whether they knew about this change, it’s hard to see how they can have, with coaches and friends likely to have revealed it in the past three weeks. The WSOP Main Event broadcast should improve as a result of the shot clock being removed. With the $10,000,000 top prize and poker immortality on the line, the race to become world champion could be one of the most dramatic in poker history, with more eyes on the prize than ever before.