If you're bluffing or valuebetting someone, you would want them to make a mistake. Why would you ever not call the clock immidiately to make your edge as big as possible over the other player? Especially in the really high stakes. When literal millions are on the line, why would players care about what is considered bad etiquette?

I'm watching the wsop and it's pretty funny how a lot of players at the table got mad at schwartz when he called the clock against another player just as he had put in chips to bluff. They have to realize he is doing whatever he can to maximize his chance to win the hand, within the rules, so why blame him at that point and not the rules themselves? It just seems really weird to me.

The general thought is that calling clock on others will in turn have the clock called on you when you face a difficult decision. There's a need to have some respect for other players at the table and the hope is that you're shown the same respect when facing a difficult decision. There's a thought that calling clock on someone should only be used in extreme circumstances, not to put someone in a position to make a difficult decision in a very small amount of time.

Personally, the only time I'll call clock on someone in a tournament is when I think they're deliberately stalling. In those cases though, I often will tell the tournament director instead of calling time on a specific hand. At this point, the tournament director can step in and give specific direction to the player that they need to speed up their play. This is a bigger problem in smaller tournaments with bad structures. In the WSOP, the tournament structure is such that players should be given plenty of time to make a difficult decision. Calling clock on someone when you're talking about half their stack and they've only had 30 seconds to think is a bush league move.

In rare circumstances, if someone was calling clock on every single big hand they play, there is always a chance the tournament director could decide to ban them from future tournaments for failing to follow the spirit of the "clock" rule.

I have started a new thing lately. When someone is in the middle of a tank (or I think a tank is coming) I will start a timer on my phone and set it down on the rail or hold it up a bit. I do this for 2 reasons.

1) It's so the table know how much time is actually passing by ...
2) So that if the person who is tanking notices, they can see that it actually is taking 'some' time and that a clock is coming soon.

I have found that decisions are made and that the people at the table who can see the clock actually realize is hasn't been that long yet.

While of course every decision involves chips there needs to be a little extra time allotted when it's a tournament changing decision. I think it's hard to tell how much time you really need to give. Is there another street coming? How much of a person's stack is in question here? GL

If it tilts guys and make them play at you it is not a good thing. In Mtts you are looking for folds not guys getting it is light.

I am reluctant to calla clock for a few reasons
1-Bad etiquette. Unless the taking is excessive, calling a clock is bad form and can change the character of the table, as well as focus the table on you (this can sometimes be desrieable)
2-Giving away information-you say you want to call a clock to force the player to make the wrong decision, but you also want to be careful that they don't see through that and figure out why you are calling the clock. For example, some people call a clock fast when bluffing, which can be a tell
3-Uncertain results-I am not convinced that calling a clock reliably influences actionin the direction that you want it to go. I have seen no evidence that clocked players are more inclined to fold or to call\raise. So using it to influence action seems iffy

i guess clocked players will not raise without the nuts

None of the answers so far are convincing. In a big-time tournament, I'd say that it's fair to use every tool at your disposal. Chess players aren't shy about hitting the clock button; why should tournament poker players be?

Small, weekday regional tournaments are a different matter. Most of the players are going to have a hard enough time finding their way to their car after the tournament to go pick up their pension checks. No need to make their day even harder.

Use your insight to crush the WSOP and make millions, then spend the money supporting Republican political causes. My advice.

I've been playing poker for about 15 years and never called the clock on someone, and I think I've had it called on me twice (Both is HUGE spots, both time was debating for around a minute and the guy who made the play called it) While I think it's kind of a dick move, the only people who should call the clock, are the people in the hand, and it should be a good amount of time (two minutes or more) before you even think about it. If you've never spent 45 seconds to a minute replaying a big hand in your head, trying to come up with why they made the move they did, you're probably not a successful player. And if a guy who's not in the hand, calls the clock after a minute or so, when someone's tourney is on the line, you probably deserve to be punched in the face. lol

Edit/Brag: Both times I had the clock called on me, it was the guy who made the play, both times I made the call and both times it was the right call. Take that clock caller!

Basic decency and respect for your fellow competitors not a good enough reason?

Ok.

it's called having class

I love the famous saying "all the money in the world can't buy you class."

I too have never called "clock" but I have to admit I've wanted to badly. This impatience is ALWAYS related to the blind levels changing and people taking the the last 3 or 4 minutes of the level.

Yesterday I made the final table in a tourney where 7 were paid. Unfortunately I was second shortest stack and up next for the bb, when a guy tanks for minutes.

"Antes are now up to 500 and blinds 3000/6000." Just after he makes his decision. I didn't show it but I wanted to yell "****ing make up your mind!" Lol

In a tournament, especially with levels of less than 30 minutes, as soon as I notice that the player is taking a while (usually between 60 and 120 seconds), i will make a note of the tournament clock. If they haven't acted at two minutes from that point, i will call a clock (whether I am in the hand or not). If it is late in a tournament and a huge decision, I will give extra time. but to think that a tanking player does not affect all players at the table, and therefore they don't have the right to call a clock, is incorrect. That being said, I have called a clock only a few times.

And honestly, do you really think there is much more you can figure out after thinking for 3 to 5 minutes? Tanking for two or three minutes makes sense. Doing it for five, or even ten minutes is BS.

No.