WSOP Drops the Shot Clock for Main Event Final Table
The timed structure added after Loren Klein’s Day 6 tank was scrapped before the final nine began play on ESPN2.
WSOP removed the shot clock from the 2026 Main Event final table before play began Monday evening. The final nine started action on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET, with Lucas Jumalon holding a huge chip lead and nine players still chasing the $10 million first prize.
According to PokerNews, the series introduced the timed structure on Day 6, after Loren Klein spent 15 minutes in the tank on Day 6 trying to lock up a pay jump. The earlier setup gave players 20 seconds preflop and 30 seconds postflop, with time-extension chips available.
The final table is not being played under that clock, though standard clock calls still apply. WSOP said it decided not to use a shot clock after talking with players and tournament staff, and said it would keep the option to bring one back if repeated stalling starts to hurt the pace of play. The goal, as WSOP put it, was to create the most natural playing environment possible.
Barny Boatman praised it as a very good decision, while Ragzy X argued the real problem was floor staff not policing the stall. Harry Gandia also pushed back, saying it looked like changing the goalposts as the tournament went along.
Early action suggested the switch had not slowed anything down. PokerNews reported minimal tanking at the time of publishing, with players acting quickly both preflop and postflop. Jumalon still looked in control with a little more than 129 big blinds after Day 8.
Michael Gagliano took one of the bigger early pots off the chip leader with ace-high after Jumalon, who was bluffing, could not fire a final barrel. Greg Mueller had only played a couple of hands, while the short stacks Evagoras Evagorou and Han Feng had yet to find a spot to make a move.
The remaining nine were guaranteed at least $1 million, and the final table continues through Aug. 5, with ESPN2 handling the early coverage and ESPN airing the conclusion.
