The tanking debate reignites

Televised poker was frustrating to watch again after another example of excessive and needless tanking at the WSOP.

This year there are a lot of innovations in shot clock technology that cannot come fast enough if $25,000 Heads-Up Championship at the WSOP is anything to go by. 

Runner-up Christoph Vogelsang got everyone talking when he took more than two minutes to make a decision in a very 'standard' spot as the first player to act. He has been called out before for his excessive tanking:

.@BuffaloHanks is giving Vogelsang the business for his excessive tanking on @PokerGO. I’m here for it. pic.twitter.com/F5Qkxgi2Zn

— Johnnie VIBΞS (@JohnnieVibes) June 5, 2022

Afterwards he explained himself in his post-game interview, saying:

You can probably see from my tanking that probably one of my weaknesses is that I'm somewhat indecisive. Even in life, I might think a little longer how to make a decision, and so that probably transfers to poker. Whenever I can, I'll try to make an effort to play fast.

It seems really hard to imagine a top player in the game unable to make quick decisions in seemingly automatic spots. Most of the Super High Roller players who share a table with him regularly defended him, saying he was an earnest person, not an angle shooter and is just perhaps wired a literally differently to most regulars where quick decisions are concerned. 

Call the clock liberally on tankers

There are reasons why stalling might help some players, mostly to tilt their opponents or to play less hands at deep stack depths where good players can exert less edge. Neither of this reasons seem likely why Vogelsang is so slow - his opponents are unlikely to tilt easy because they are elite professionals and given his ability he will probably be giving up EV playing at the shallower stack depth.

It is also bad EV for him to slow the game down and play less hands in general. It is bad for his hourly rate to needlessly extend the amount of time he is playing and if he has an edge at a table he wants to play more hands, not less. Also it would frustrate recreational players enough that they won't play again. 

Despite probably having the best of intentions, it's still bad for the game that Vogelsang is playing so slowly. It makes poker frustrating and unwelcoming for recreational players, not to mention boring to watch. If you want weak players and advertising revenue in the game, tanking is a bad idea. His opponents should call the clock on him at every opportunity to force him to speed up his play. 

Should shot clocks be mandatory at the WSOP? Let us know in the comments: