WSOP 2014: Tanking, writhing and warnings. It should be the bubble

It's a natural phenomenon, and person who have been put to the test as recently as this month throughout the football World Cup - the relation between time wasting and the fortunes of the player or team involved.

It was some extent made throughout the World Cup by Geoff Foster, who wrote his analysis within the Wall Street Journal of 1 of the more irritating aspects of contemporary football. He added up the quantity of time each team's players spent "writhing" at the ground, only to face up and play on moments later, having undergone a virtually miraculous recovery.

Looking on the opening group stages of the sector Cup, Foster discovered Brazil were mostly seen in "anguish", while Bosnia proved in all probability to man up, shake it off and play on.

There was something else that he discovered. The volume of time spent rolling around at the floor was strongly associated with the location shown at the scoreboard. A losing team spent less time appealing to the Academy of Films than teams that were winning.

Poker has the same problem, although compared the cause is reversed. Players don't fall from their chairs and roll around at the floor holding their ankle, but they do something else, tanking with great drama for excellent lengths of time to assist their cause, particularly when the bubble is ready to burst.

It's some of the more unsavoury belongings you may need to observe from the rail of a poker tournament, the blatant time wasting to decelerate the action, the rechecking of cards, the false agonising as though there is a decision to make together with your nine-three off-suit under the gun.

Dealers commonly event at the bubble

On the sector Series of Poker Main Event bubble, it swept in the course of the place like an endemic. John Juanda even had a face mask on.

The floor staff can be busy, not only in marshalling their dealers, but in keeping players in line. The cry of "clock" as play moved into that vital stage before hand-for-hand, echoed around the Amazon Room. One corner specifically getting the whole works with a Jack Effel broadside.

It appeared on one table everyone were doing something wrong and Effel was adamant. He'd declare any hand dead that he chose to if he got the merest whiff of stalling. "Play poker!" he demanded, before striding off, threatening to go back with a stop watch.

Tournament director Jack Effel lays down the law

As those on the cautioned table pointed fingers of blame at each other, players at the neighbouring table had their very own problems.

You might actually be aware of Zach Hall without even knowing it. He's the player who has on a rainbow coloured umbrella hat. He's now tanking such a lot that several players gave the impression of they desired to empty the contents of a close-by fire extinguisher in his direction.

It's not as clear-cut as all that. With greater than $18,000 to people who min-cash it's almost churlish to indicate that players hanging on for dear life shouldn't do everything they may be able to to eke into the cash. It isn't pretty. It's annoying even, and may not be within the spirit of the sport (poker being a game of selflessness and courtesy, cough). But on closer look, not everyone at the table was like Curtis Rystadt (himself about to cash for the largest win of his career) timing each tanked hand Hall played with a stopwatch app out of pure frustration. Others seemed relieved that Hall was doing their dirty work.

The approach to all of this was not remote. With 695 player left hand-for-hand play was introduced, which nullifies the time-wasters within the way a penalty shootout gets the Brazilians into shape.

It would take just one hand to peer off the 3 players needed, albeit person who would take an age. The players were expectant.

"I've got five all-in calls," said Jack Effel into the mic. "Five all in calls..." He lingered over it, almost teasing the group. It was though this was an enormous supper club and there has been a prize draw, with prizes between courses. The group oohed, giddy on the prospect of a money finish, and stood to listen to what can be a succession of hands called out to them.

Effel then became a type of pied piper, leading a small circus of reporters, cameramen, photographers, hangers on, and the folks who hold giant microphones on sticks, from one table to a different.

The first will be the most spectacular, although perhaps painful is more accurate.

John Dwyer got his chips in with an entire house, only to run it into the quads of Mark Newhouse. He even tanked. It will be a call that stays with him for a very long time yet. Effel delivered the inside track with professional neutrality before leading everyone over to the following hand, each being turned over with the intention to rule out any advantage.

Here was where Zhen Cai's tournament would come to an end, among the to run into pocket aces together. His pocket queens were probably a sight for sore eyes when he first looked down at them. Darren Keyes though would make sure that his eyes remained sore.

Zhen Cai (right) shakes hands with Darren Keyes

Forwards marched Effel, not wasting any time - no time for writhing allowed - this time to supervise Kori Hunter's fate. Hunter also had aces. Facing him was Harry Kaczka with nine-eight of diamonds. Kaczka had flopped eight-seven, and turned a five. The nine at the river though was what saved him, even Effel's voice betrayed his neutrality because it landed, sending Hunter out.

At this point most players within the room knew they'd cashed, but dared not celebrate until told to. Paul Tedeschi would double in all-in hand number four, against Arthur Morris, his aces against pocket queens.

Waiting all of this time was Stuart Rutter. His all-in were the primary to happen but was the last to be called. Effel led the circus over to peer what Rutter held - ace-jack of hearts against Daniel Alaei's jack-nine off-suit, on a jack-high flop. The watch for Rutter was worth it, with nothing at the turn and river to modify anything.

All of a sudden there has been no reason to tank, to time waste, or writhe. A high card draw determined which of the 3 players would get their buy-in paid for next year, Cai a minimum of getting something to turn for greater than three days of poker. Hunter and Dwyer were quick to leave.

Some consolation for Zhen Cai

The crowd roared because the shutters at the pay-out desk were raised, metaphorically no less than. We're back as much as full speed generally Event. And we're within the money.

Stephen Bartley is a PokerStars Blog reporter.

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