The 5 minute break

[Titito]

As i said before, it will depend on what you need to do on those 5min.
If you will just wait for the restart, then 5min is too long.
If you will go to the bathroom, to eat something, or even just to smoke a cigar, then those 5min could be too short, depending on what you will do

 

[Tinie107]

The break says it's 5 mins but usually the time other table have finished their hands it can stretch anywhere between 5-8 mins. I think 5 mins is just right though

 

[PokerFishin]

I think 5 mins online isn't quite long enough, however 10 mins is too long. Like Tinie107 said typically my table ends and we have to wait for "other table to finish" which extends the wait time. When I'm playing in a card room or casino 10 mins is long enough, but every now again I wish it was 15.

 

[daredeviljo]

However more often in not (for me) I find the break too long and this happens when I have nothing to do during the break I just find myself staring at the break timer everytime astounded at how five minutes can last so long.

All I have to say to this is that it is not necessarily a bad thing to stare at your screen for the 5 minutes. Often times when I am preoccupied during the break, I lose focus and my train of thought is out the window. I find it hard to get into the same mindframe I was in when I was winning. But I find, when I have no other distractions around me and I "stare at my screen", I seem to be at the top of my performance. Again this is just my perspective and you may view things differently.

 

[nc_royals]

I'd like to see them alternated 5 min break then next 10 and then back to 5.

 

[Aleksei]

A 5min time break is not bad, because it pleases almost everybody.

Even us, and i am taking me as example, sometimes feel that 5min is too long, because we are "on fire" and with will to play again fast, but then again, there are some days, when i need to stop to go to the bathroom, to eat something, or even just to smoke a cigar (i can not smoke inside my house due to the fact of having a small baby, so i need to come to the street to smoke it) when i feel 5min break is too short.
With this in mind, i think 5min is just right.

What i think it is not so right, is the time players have to make their decisions/to play, because many players take this to the limit to try to get to the number of players that will receive some kind of prize, and that is annoying (to wait one time, and other, and again, and again, and again.....)
I think 5 secs, and then a 15secs time bank would be enough to those who are REALLY playing.
For those who are playing but needed to went away for a minute, it will not be a big lost. On the other hand, those who make everybody wait again and again, wouldn't have a big incentive to do it, because this kind of aproach would not bring them to anywhere.

Please do apologise my bad English

I honestly hate the timer, myself. It's not about running down the time, but I'm kind of a slow thinker and like making sure that I'm making the most EV play, so I like tanking in tough spots. The time clock makes that impossible so you have to play super straightforward TAG and you thus can't play many hands and have to play like a super polarized range with no tactical trickery, and I hate that. It's boring.

It's one of the two things I like about live play (the other being that people are soooo much fishier at small and mid stakes vs online -- though on the other hand they're stations playing full ring and thus multiway pots are super tough to avoid).

 

[marcumx]

5 is fine for online..at the casino, i would prefer 15. the casino i go to is 5 min and often times i'm folded out twice btt i get back to my seat

 

[xmarus91]

to short because u just sit there. You can only take a quck twinkle or a quick drink

 

[Benneke11]

When I'm playing online I don't need a break because I'm visiting other websites and watch tv at the same time. But when I'm playing live a 10 minute break every 2 hours is sufficient for me

 

[PurgatoryD]

Poker can be intense, so I welcome the hourly break. And 5 minutes seems about right.

 

[fasteddee74]

5 minutes long enough for #1 and a quick cig. It would be nice if maybe every 10th level they give you ten minutes. At least when you make a FT,the game should stop for ten minutes! Just hope you do not have to go #2 in your session, 5 minutes never enough time.

 

[junegirl81]

I play only online, so 5min is quite enough for me. I usually walk a bit to stretch my legs.

 

[S3mper]

5 minutes long enough for #1 and a quick cig. It would be nice if maybe every 10th level they give you ten minutes. At least when you make a FT,the game should stop for ten minutes! Just hope you do not have to go #2 in your session, 5 minutes never enough time.

Well sometimes at the Final Table when its 4h or smaller I just wanna skip the breaks and keep playing

 

[Tom1559]

I would say 5 minutes is okay for most games but where games have got a big field and last for a few hours I would drop in a 20 to 30 minute break every 4 hours.

 

[vinylspiros]

i hate it when the tourney starts at 45 minutes past the hour, you get dealt 2 hands and BAM!!! break.:thumpdown

 

[Titito]

When I'm playing online I don't need a break because I'm visiting other websites and watch tv at the same time. But when I'm playing live a 10 minute break every 2 hours is sufficient for me

Every two hours?
I do not play in casinos, but i think i would not like that, because i am a big smoker, and to wait 2h between each cigar, would "kill me" hehehe.Nevertheless, i understand that after getting that concentration status, you do not want to loose it.

Also, i have a bad seat, and to be seated for 2h in a row is not conceivable to my mind and ass, because i start to get unconfortable.
I know that when we are working, we have too seat for a lot longer, but (in my case) i can stand up and come outside for few minutes each time i want to. :boxing:

 

[MAX101]

When I'm playing online 5 minutes is long enough its plenty of time to let me do what I got to do,live I prefer 10 to 15 minutes, its usually a longer walk and it gives me time to relax an go over my play!

 

[DStump]

After the hand for hand the 5 minute break is good for me. Usually do some push ups and sit ups and think about my next moves

 

[tignutz]

just get a laptop...the game goes with you no matter what your needs are.

 

[UnNa7uRal]

I think breaks should be set by the "start time" of the tournoments. For instance, in pokerstars they start exactly at 5 mins to the hour, which is basically useless if your tournoment started smth like 10 mins ago. Also the longer gets the tournoment the longer gets the break. They should be going like First break- 5 min, second- 10, third- 15.

 

[crusinnn]

5 minutes is not enough to check my facebook

 

[MadMaddie]

I think breaks should be set by the "start time" of the tournoments. For instance, in pokerstars they start exactly at 5 mins to the hour, which is basically useless if your tournoment started smth like 10 mins ago. Also the longer gets the tournoment the longer gets the break. They should be going like First break- 5 min, second- 10, third- 15.

But what if you are playing in like 3 tournaments and then the break would be at all different times.
I never seem to get everything I want done in the five minutes but I still would not like it to be longer and fifteen minutes would be a very boring long break I think.

 

[Fisi]

A 5 minutes break is okay for me. I guess a 10 minute break every 90 minutes of play could have been better and still not too long.

 

[wanderingthehall]

Breaks need to be synchronized, otherwise they become pointless if you have more than one tourney going. I'm fine with 5 min every hour, but I think 10 every 2 hours would be much better. I also feel that every site should have an option like Merge where everyone can agree to restart the tourney early.

 

[Jim Lahey]

Are you referring to a SNG or MTT?
I hate the 5 minute break on SNG's but a 5 minute break on a MTT is fine, but it would be better if it was a 5 minute break every 90 minutes.