Negreanu said he would not call for the clock on players who naturally take a long time to play a hand. Daniel Negreanu said recently he no longer enjoys playing No’Limit Hold’em events without a shot clock. Negreanu also said he plans to be agressive dealers with excessive tankers at the 2017 World Series of Poker.
Negreanu contends that some poker players take extra time as a form of gamesmanship in tournaments. While some card players naturally take longer to make decisions, others intentially draw out play when the money bubble approaches or as the final table is near.
Players tank during live events near the end of the tournament, especially as the final table approaches. If a card player delays the game long enough, they hope players at other tables will be eliminated. By delaying long stretches of time, their chances of making the final table increase.
WSOP Clock Events
The Canadian poker professional is a vocal advocate of a shot clock in poker tournaments. He recently blogged about his approach to deal with those who take a long time to make decisions during the upcoming WSOP event.
In years past, the WSOP had shot clock events, but none appear on the event list for this year’s tournament. Players have the right to call for the clock on excessive tankers, though, a right that Negreanu plans to use this upcoming year.
When a player calls for the clock, the other player has only 30 seconds grace to make a decision pre-flop and 60-seconds grace to make a decision post-flop. In his blog post, Daniel Negreanu warned his potential competitors what he planned to do and said, “It’s not personal, guys.”
Won’t Call for the Clock on Everyone
Negreanu said he would make exceptions. If a player normally takes a long time to make a decision, then he does not plan to call for the clock in those cases. He wants people to play at their normal pace — that is, to play fair. If a person waits simply for the sake of gamesmanship or to throw him off his game, then he’ll call for the clock.
As for his 2017 WSOP schedule, Daniel Negreanu appears as if he plans to play an almost-full schedule. His total buy-ins for the 2017 World Series of Poker is currently at $384,600, and he plans to take off only three days from May 31 to July 10 — which comprises the beginning of the first event and the beginning of the WSOP Main Event. It would appear as if Daniel Negreanu is seeking a third WSOP Player of the Year title.
Might Spend $1 Million on Entries
Negreanu said he believes his full buy-in amount might rise beyond $1 million, if you consider the pre-WSOP tournaments. Those events include the $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB), as well as a number of events at the Bellagio and Aria.
The Aria is hosting $10k, $25k, $50k, and $100k events in the pre-WSOP slate of events. Bellagio is hosting $15k and $25k Mixed Game events, and Negreanu plans to play in all of the tournaments at the moment.
Daniel Negreanu on Game of Thrones
Negreanu said on his blog that he expects Tyrion Lannister to win the Game of Thrones. That may well be the case, but George RR Martin is an unpredictable plotter when it comes to characters’ storylines. While the standard fantasy story would allow a character like Tyrion Lannister to have a successful/happy ending, that is not always what Martin wants. He’s already said he envisions a “bittersweet ending”.
People say there are no sacred cows in Games of Thrones. In my opinion, A Song of Fire & Ice is an anti-heroic tale. That is, it is the opposite of a typical sword-and-sorcery story. In most fantasy novels, the heroes are sacred cows. The author puts a force field around them, so they always survive, whether their story is torturous or not. In Game of Thrones, I argue that the villains are given the protection that normally exists for the heroes.
Without going into spoilers, consider Cersei Lannister and Ramsey Bolton, for example. Cersei has escaped near-death situations several times. Ramsey Bolton did the same. Therefore, Tyrion might be too heroic to be spared.
The counter to that argument is that most authors spare the characters they like the best, and enjoy writing the most. I’d argue that George RR Martin likes writing scoundrels and villains best, so that might be why the strict heroes die in such numbers. George RR Martin clearly enjoys writing Tyrion, so he might well be the winner. That is, if George RR Martin ever finishes the books.
