Take your time, no rush
With the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event final table kicking off in just three days, the WSOP has implemented a rule change. Announced on social media, the WSOP has decided that there will not be “shot clock” at the final table.
In the social media post, the WSOP explained that players may still call clock on their opponents “if they believe an opponent is taking an unreasonable amount of time to act.” Tournament staff may also call clock, but will generally not do so except in “exceptional circumstances.”
Basically, the WSOP wants everyone to just be cool and let people take time to make decisions, but not every decision needs a five-minute tank.
The WSOP added that it still reserves the right to implement a shot clock if necessary.
Response to current conditions
Tournament officials introduced a 20-second shot clock on Day 7 of the 2026 Main Event in response to excessive tanking. Players were also given six, 30-second time extension chips to use as they saw fit. If a player did not make a move before their time ran out, their hand would be declared dead.
The decision was made the previous day, primarily because of a hand in which poker pro Loren Klein took 15 minutes to make up his mind with Kc-4h on an all-heart 6-A-7 board in an effort to survive until the next pay jump.
The floor eventually told him he had one more minute to decide. Klein called for his last few chips and lost to Tyler Gaston’s Ac-6d to exit in 72nd place for $105,000. The next pay jump was one spot away, for which the next person made $125,000.
While most understood the reason for the shot clock, many players took umbrage at the WSOP changing the rules of the tournament not just mid-stream, but very near the end. With the final table in sight and pay jumps quite significant for most people, having to go from taking all the time one needs, within reason, to only having 20 seconds plus time extensions to make important decisions didn’t sit well, even if the reason was legit.
And now it’s the same thing, but in reverse. On the one hand, players and fans are happy that there won’t be a shot clock at the final table. With the smallest pay jump at $250,000 and poker glory on the line, now is no time to rush players. But just like before, the WSOP has changed the rules, which is, for many, not a great precedent to set.
Image credit: Alla Eddine Taleb
