Gamers should have extra-time chips in tournaments

Poker pro Lee Watkinson has stated that gamers often take far too long to make a decision at the table and that he would like to see clearer rulings on the subject in tournaments.

In a question and answer session with Bluff Magazine and a number of other pros, he said that dealers should routinely be given a clock in their tray, as they do in speed events.

Watkinson added that to allow for particularly tough decisions, gamers should be provided with extra-time chips at the start of the event to be used at their discretion.

The issue was brought up in response to an incident at last year's World Series of Poker main event when Tiffany Michelle called time on a player despite not being in the hand.

Many thought it was an unfair move because she was no longer directly involved in the action.

However, she had one of the shorter stacks at the time and as the next level approached, the number of blinds she had left would have decreased, meaning the delay was having an adverse effect on her position at the table.