WSOP Main Event Clock Controversy: 15-Minute Delay Sparks Reform, Five Options to Choose From

On July 12, 2026, Day 7 of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event saw the introduction of a rule never before used in this world championship event: the timer. The remaining 62 players were required to make decisions within a specified time, and this temporary measure quickly became one of the most controversial topics in the later stages of the Main Event.

The controversy stemmed from an extreme delay on Day 6. With only 25,000 chips remaining and facing an all-in decision, Loren Klein spent over 15 minutes deliberating, waiting for other tables to be eliminated and aiming for the $20,000 prize to advance to the next level. The tournament director eventually intervened, and the hand lasted nearly 20 minutes, but Klein was still eliminated in 72nd place, earning $105,000 and failing to advance to the $125,000 prize level.

This incident has once again put "Tanking" in the spotlight of the poker world. Most people agree that deliberately delaying the game would disrupt the fairness of the competition and the broadcast schedule, but there is still no consensus among professional players, recreational players, and event organizers on how the WSOP should limit decision-making time.

A 15-minute delay prompted temporary changes to the WSOP.

With 72 players remaining on Day 6, the prize money was poised to jump from $105,000 for 72nd place to $125,000 for 71st place. Klein raised to 975,000 from the HJ position, leaving him with only 25,000 chips; Tyler Gaston called from the small blind and bet after the flop of 7♥A♥6♥, forcing Klein to go all-in.

With other tables still in progress, Klein attempted to extend his decision-making time, waiting for other players to be eliminated first. No player at the table requested a timer until 15 minutes had passed, at which point staff intervened, giving Klein one last minute before a five-second countdown.

Klein eventually called with K♣4♥, trailing Gaston's A♣6♦. The turn 2♠ failed to give him a flush, while the river 6♣ completed Gaston's full house. Klein not only lost the tournament but also missed out on the prize jump he had been hoping for.

Following the incident, the WSOP introduced a timer for the latter part of the Main Event on Day 7 for the first time. This marks the first time such a rule has been used in the WSOP Main Event's 57-year history, signifying that the organizers are no longer solely reliant on players calling the clock or supervisors making on-the-spot judgments to handle extreme delays.

How do the Day 7 timer rules work?

According to the Day 7 rules announced during the WSOP livestream, players have 20 seconds to make decisions pre-flop, and 30 seconds each on the flop, turn, and river. Each player also receives six additional 30-second delay cards per day to increase their thinking time for crucial decisions.

The timer can directly handle long pauses and makes the broadcast of the event more concise. However, since there were no time restrictions for the first six days of the main event, the sudden rule change when only 62 players remained and the prize money and decision-making pressure increased significantly has sparked discussions about fairness.

Chris Brewer: The new rules could give professional players an additional advantage.

High-stakes pro Chris Brewer opposes the impromptu introduction of a timer in the later stages of the main event. He believes that pros familiar with the high-stakes timer system can more effectively manage delay cards and decision-making pace; for many recreational players new to the timer, a sudden change could create a disproportionate disadvantage.

One of the key features of the WSOP Main Event is that thousands of recreational players compete against professional players. Some participants may only participate in the Main Event once every few years, and may not have accumulated experience in high-stakes tournaments or circuit events with timers.

In this scenario, even if everyone appears to have the same decision-making time, players familiar with the system may still be better at knowing when to act quickly, when to use delay cards, and how to take advantage of their opponent's time pressure.

Shaun Deeb: A timer is a necessary measure to prevent professional poker players from stalling.

Shaun Deeb holds a different view. He acknowledges that familiarity with the timed format might be advantageous, but still considers it a necessary measure to prevent excessive procrastination. Deeb points out that it's usually professional players, not recreational players, who frequently engage in long deliberations.

According to Deeb, without a time limit, pro players might spend several minutes analyzing ranges, pot odds, and ICM on each street, forcing recreational players to wait. The timer reduces the space for pro players to analyze without limits, so it may not only benefit pro players.

This also highlights the core of the controversy: whether the timer increases the pressure on casual players or limits professional players from using their experience to make long-term deductions, there is currently no single answer.

Option 1: Abolish the clock and maintain the traditional system.

The simplest approach is to revert to the traditional rules used for the first six days of this year's Main Event and in previous Main Events. Players can think within reasonable limits and then request the manager to start the countdown when the table deems the time too long.

This system preserves the drama of the main event. When players face decisions that could be worth millions of dollars, the audience can fully experience the pressure and thought process; the conversations and psychological battles at the poker table are not compressed by the fixed countdown.

The downside is that there's no clear standard for what constitutes a "reasonable time." Extreme delays can still occur if players are unwilling to call the bell. Klein's table also benefits from rapid prize money increases, so other players have little incentive to demand a quick decision from him.

Option 2: Give dealers and event directors more discretion.

Another option is not to apply a fixed clock to the entire game, but to authorize dealers and tournament directors to intervene proactively when the game is clearly stalled.

This approach distinguishes between genuinely difficult, critical decisions and deliberate delays aimed at skipping levels for a higher prize. The game generally maintains its traditional pace, with the countdown only beginning when significant delays occur.

However, discretionary power also brings the problem of consistency. Given the same amount of time to think, different dealers may make different judgments; in high-stakes events like the WSOP Main Event, a single inconsistent intervention can directly impact a player's career.

David Williams also favors this approach. He believes that a full rollout of timers is not the best option, and field supervisors should handle extreme cases like Klein's case on a case-by-case basis.

Option 3: Encourage contestants to call the bell voluntarily.

Current rules already allow players to request a timer after they believe a reasonable amount of time has passed, and the requesting player does not necessarily have to be sitting at the same table. In the 2025 WSOP Main Event, Ike Haxton skipped a level for a long time to think about the prize money, and in the end, another table of players requested a timer.

Todd Brunson stated that he has rarely asked his opponents to keep time in the past, but he might do so if he is in Klein's position for more than 15 minutes.

The problem is that calling the bell too early is often seen as impolite in poker culture. More importantly, players at the same table can sometimes benefit from delays, for example, when everyone is waiting for another table to be eliminated and to advance their prize money. Therefore, relying solely on player self-discipline may not be enough to protect the fairness of the entire tournament.

Option 4: Use a chessboard-style personal master clock

A more radical reform would be to adopt the chess-style timekeeping system tested in the Triton Poker Series. Instead of awarding each player a fixed number of seconds per hand, each player would have a total personal time pool for the entire tournament day.

Players can act quickly in routine hands, reserving time for truly important big pots; if they frequently take long deliberations, they are only consuming their remaining time and will not slow down other tables indefinitely.

Daniel Negreanu has affirmed the innovativeness of this system, and Phil Hellmuth also believes that while players should generally act quickly, some complex decisions do require a longer evaluation period.

The advantage of this system is that it simultaneously preserves the depth of major decisions and limits repeated delays. However, the operation and time management are relatively complex, and professional players familiar with high-stakes tournaments may still have an advantage over casual players who are new to the system.

Option 5: Add a timer only in the later stages of the race.

Another direction proposed by PokerNews is to refer to the European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event system. The EPT does not immediately add a timer at the beginning of the event, but only after Level 11.

Under the EPT system, players typically have 15 seconds for their first decision and 30 seconds for subsequent decisions, and receive a limited number of delay cards. As the competition progresses, players can receive additional delay cards; if they are deemed to be deliberately delaying, their future decision time may even be reduced to five seconds.

This model allows casual players to maintain a familiar, traditional rhythm in the early stages of the main event, while controlling the delays in the deeper stages where prize money jumps, ICMs and broadcasts become more important.

In fact, the temporary introduction of a timer on Day 7 of this year's WSOP is close to the concept of "timing starting later in the day." The real controversy is not whether it can be used later in the day, but whether this rule should have been written into the structure before the start of the event, rather than being announced six days after the start of the competition.

Comparison of Five Anti-Procrastination Solutions

The timing clock is not just a matter of speed, but also involves the fairness of the competition.

Klein's 15-minute deliberation sparked a strong reaction not only because the broadcast paused, but also because his delay could affect the elimination order and prize outcomes at other tables. When players at one table deliberately slow down, other tables that are playing normally may bear an unfair risk.

On the other hand, the main event is also the most important tournament of many casual players' lives. If they are suddenly required to adapt to a timing system they have never used before when there are still dozens of players left, it may also be considered unfair.

Therefore, the real challenge is not simply to make the game faster, but to do three things at the same time: prevent deliberate delays, preserve time for important decisions, and prevent players familiar with the timing system from gaining too much of an advantage.

The WSOP may need to clearly define its rules before the competition begins in the future.

Currently, no solution can satisfy all participants. Fixed timers are clear and easy to implement, but may compress important decisions; discretionary systems are more flexible, but standards are inconsistent; chess-style timers allow players to allocate their own time, but have a higher learning curve.

Judging from this controversy, the most important issue for the WSOP in the future may not be immediately choosing a single system, but rather clearly announcing the rules before the event begins. If players can know before registration when the main event will incorporate a timer, how many delay cards they will receive, and what penalties they will face for deliberately delaying, the fairness controversy caused by the temporary changes could be reduced.

With the WSOP Main Event entering the seven-figure prize pool and final table stage, the timer is no longer just an off-table discussion, but a crucial rule that could directly impact how the world champion is determined. This reform controversy sparked by the 15-minute deliberation could also become a turning point for the WSOP to re-examine its future Main Event system.

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