Stalling (gaming)
Encyclopedia
Stonewalling is the strategy of obstructing the flow of play in a timed game in the hopes of maintaining the lead.
Stonewalling cannot generally be pursued in games without a time limit, such as baseball
or tennis
, unless to try the endurance of one's opponents (for example, when a batter hits many foul ball
s to avoid striking out but also to wear out a pitcher
). However, it can be pursued in games with defined end-times. For example, a leading team in soccer or football
has a strategic interest in slowing the flow of a game: the team is more likely to maintain the lead. This is known as killing the clock
.
One game without a time limit where stalling can occur is tournament poker
. Normally, prize payouts in poker tournaments are determined by the order in which players are eliminated. In tournaments with more than a few players, players are seated at multiple tables, each of which plays hands independently of the others. By slowing the pace of play at one's own table, a player can survive longer, possibly winning a larger prize than they might otherwise.
In mental games, the distinction between legitimate deliberation and Stonewalling is difficult to define.
Different games deal with the possibility of Stonewalling in different ways. Some allow some forms of stalling, whereas others penalize it.
Stonewalling can also be used strategically and can be a disadvantage for yourself in other card games that also require luck of the draw, such as Magic: the Gathering
, among others. Stonewalling in these battle-type card games may allow you to consider playing strategies but can also allow the opponent to consider how to counter any possible actions that may occur. In tournament play, where rounds are timed, it is considered bad form to stall to run out the clock; in the Magic: The Gathering penalty guidelines, Stonewalling in this way can be construed as cheating, and a player could risk disqualification for it.
Stonewalling cannot generally be pursued in games without a time limit, such as baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
or tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, unless to try the endurance of one's opponents (for example, when a batter hits many foul ball
Foul ball
In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that:* Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or* Bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or...
s to avoid striking out but also to wear out a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
). However, it can be pursued in games with defined end-times. For example, a leading team in soccer or football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
has a strategic interest in slowing the flow of a game: the team is more likely to maintain the lead. This is known as killing the clock
Killing the clock
Killing the clock may refer to:* Stalling , a strategy of obstructing the flow of play in a timed game* Running out the clock, the practice of a winning team allowing the clock to expire through a series of pre-selected plays...
.
One game without a time limit where stalling can occur is tournament poker
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
. Normally, prize payouts in poker tournaments are determined by the order in which players are eliminated. In tournaments with more than a few players, players are seated at multiple tables, each of which plays hands independently of the others. By slowing the pace of play at one's own table, a player can survive longer, possibly winning a larger prize than they might otherwise.
In mental games, the distinction between legitimate deliberation and Stonewalling is difficult to define.
Different games deal with the possibility of Stonewalling in different ways. Some allow some forms of stalling, whereas others penalize it.
- In chessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
and similar games, a game clockGame clockA game clock consists of two adjacent clocks and buttons to stop one clock while starting the other, such that the two component clocks never run simultaneously. Game clocks are used in two-player games where the players move in turn...
is used to prevent players from overly delaying the game. - In basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, a shot clockShot clockA shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game. It is normally associated with basketball, but has also found use in sports such as snooker, professional lacrosse, water polo, and korfball....
is used, during which time a team must hit the rim of the goal with a shot or lose possession. This time period varies by level of play: 35 seconds in men's college basketball, 30 seconds in women's basketball at college and Women's National Basketball AssociationWomen's National Basketball AssociationThe Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
levels and in international/OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
play, and 24 seconds in the National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. At lower levels of play, a shot clock is not used, though an experimental shot clock is being tested in some AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
state associations. - In American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and Canadian footballCanadian footballCanadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
, a play clockPlay clockA play clock is a timer designed to increase the pace in American football and Canadian football, similar to what a shot clock does in basketball...
is used. A team must snap the ball before the clock expires or be penalized five yards for delay of gameDelay of gameDelay of game is an action in a sports game in which a player or team deliberately stalls the game, usually with the intention of using the delay to its advantage. In some sports, the delay of game is considered an infraction if it is longer than that permitted according to the game's rules, in...
. The play clock is generally 25 seconds in the United States and 20 seconds in Canada. In the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, the play clock is either 40 seconds from the end of the previous play or 25 seconds from the referee's signal, depending on the circumstances at the time. - In lacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, a team must advance the ball from its defensive square to the midfield line within 20 seconds and then into the offensive square within 10 additional seconds or lose possession; additionally, a team in possession that appears to be Stonewalling by not attacking the goal may be ordered by the referee to stay within the attacking box or lose possession. Additionally, Major League LacrosseMajor League LacrosseMajor League Lacrosse, or MLL, is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada.- History :...
and most forms of indoor lacrosse employ a shot clock as with basketball. - In ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, a team which shoots the puckPuck (sports)A puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major international sport.- Etymology :The origin of the word "puck" is obscure...
backward over its own goal line in an effort to Stonewall is guilty of icing, and the puck is brought to the other end of the ice for a face-off; the rule is not in effect when a team is playing shorthanded due to a penalty. Additionally, a player (usually a goalkeeperGoalkeeperIn many team sports which involve scoring goals, a goalkeeper is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by intercepting shots at goal...
) may be charged with a minor (two-minute) penalty for delay of gameDelay of gameDelay of game is an action in a sports game in which a player or team deliberately stalls the game, usually with the intention of using the delay to its advantage. In some sports, the delay of game is considered an infraction if it is longer than that permitted according to the game's rules, in...
for shooting the puck over the glass and out of play. - In water poloWater poloWater polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
, a 35-second shot clock is employed, in much the same manner as basketball. - In poker, tournaments often use hand-for-handHand-for-handHand-for-hand situations in the card game of poker arise exclusively during tournaments at times in which multiple tables are in play and the tournament is nearing an increase in the prize payouts, and/or there must be a definitive player ranking....
play at key points in the tournament to discourage stalling. Also, any player may "call the clock" on another player if he takes too long with a decision. This gives that player one minute to make his decision; if he does not act, his hand is declared dead.
Stonewalling can also be used strategically and can be a disadvantage for yourself in other card games that also require luck of the draw, such as Magic: the Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
, among others. Stonewalling in these battle-type card games may allow you to consider playing strategies but can also allow the opponent to consider how to counter any possible actions that may occur. In tournament play, where rounds are timed, it is considered bad form to stall to run out the clock; in the Magic: The Gathering penalty guidelines, Stonewalling in this way can be construed as cheating, and a player could risk disqualification for it.