Online poker room PokerStars is set to introduce new Time to Act settings for ring games in a response to complaints about the unnecessarily long time some players are taking before acting. The changes will be introduced on July 31.
The operator explained in a post on its official blog that the new settings will still offer enough time for participants in ring games to consider their next moves carefully, but at the same time will prevent certain players from slowing down action intentionally or unintentionally.
Under the current settings, players have 18 seconds to act pre-flop when not facing a raise and 25 seconds for pre-flop facing a raise and post-flop decisions. The trial settings, which will first be rolled out on $0.01/0.02 No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha games, will provide participants with 12 seconds for pre-flops not facing a raise, and 15 seconds for pre-flops facing a raise and post-flops.
PokerStars also explained that once players run out of their Time to Act, the Timebank settings will apply. These will remain unchanged for now. They currently offer players 30 seconds initially and can be extended by 10 seconds with every 50 hands played. Thus, participants in ring games can extend their time for action to up to ten minutes, depending on how much they have played.
There will be no time changes implemented to PokerStars’ Zoom games, or at least not for now, the operator pointed out.
PokerStars last changed its Time to Act settings back in 2013. While players are yet to voice their opinion on the soon-to-be-implemented changes, the ones introduced in 2013 were met with mixed reactions. Under those changes, players were given 15 seconds to act pre-flop without facing a raise on Fixed Limit, Zoom, and Cap games, and 20 seconds to act pre-flop when facing a raise and post-flop.
Non-Cap games at $5/$10 and over featured 20 seconds for pre-flops without a raise and 30 seconds for pre-flops with a raise and post-flops. All other tables gave players 18 seconds for pre-flops without a raise and 25 seconds for pre-flop rounds with a raise and post-flops.
On the one hand, recreational players were mostly happy about the reduced time for action, as they would thus not have to wait for too long before their turn. On the other hand, professional players generally complained about the fact that the new changes would make it more difficult for them to play several tables at the same time. It is yet to be seen how they will receive the new changes.
