Calling the Clock

It is assumed during a poker tournament that a player will act on their hand within a reasonable amount of time. However, some decisions are more difficult than others are. If someone is facing a bet for all their chips, the amount of time they take to make their decision may be excessive. They may not even be able to make up their mind at all. While in a cash Texas hold'em game this may be merely annoying, in a poker tournament it is a real problem, since the blinds rise continually after a pre-determined amount of time. Due to this, other players at the table should feel no compunction about "calling a clock," on the opponent. Calling a clock means telling the dealer you want to force the player to make a decision. The dealer will call a floorperson over who will announce that the player has one minute to act on their hand. This floorperson will usually alert the player when his time is running down, at the very least letting him know when he has ten seconds left. Once that time is expired, if the player has not acted, his hand is dead.

Clock Calling Etiquette

Some players, especially those not involved in the hand, are reluctant to call the clock for fear of earning the enmity of the player who is put to the decision. However, no one but another player can call a clock, not the dealer and not the floorperson, and every player at the table is well within their right to do so (some players have even called the clock on themselves!). If anyone calls a clock, the dealer should summon a floorperson immediately. If the dealer does not, any player at the table can and should remind the dealer that a floorperson needs to be brought to the table immediately to begin the countdown.

Having a Clock Called On You

Just as you should hope that other players will not take offense if you call a clock on them, you should not take it personally if a clock is called on you. In most cases, the other player is simply anxious to keep the game moving or to stay ahead of the blinds, and has no personal investment in making your decision more difficult.