GGPoker’s Time Bank Card gives you extra thinking time once your normal shot clock runs out. You get a preset number of free cards that depends on the game and stakes. When those are gone, cash-game players can buy a Paid Time Bank Card for 1 big blind, which adds 30 seconds. You can buy one per hand, and the 1BB is shared among the other players at the table (GGPoker Time Bank Card page, checked November 2026).
What is a Time Bank Card on GGPoker?
A GGPoker Time Bank Card is a one-time extension to your shot clock during a hand. You click a card to select it, and GGPoker activates it automatically the moment your regular action time expires. You do not have to click again when the clock hits zero.
Time from a card is used up on the street where it is spent. GGPoker’s page says unused time “does not carry over to the next street or hand”. So if a card gives you more time than you need on the flop, the rest is gone by the turn.
How many free Time Bank Cards do you get on GGPoker?
GGPoker does not publish a fixed number of free Time Bank Cards. Its official page says only that you “start with a preset number” and that the number “varies with the game type and stakes”. You can see how many you have left at the table, next to your action buttons.
In practice, treat the free cards as a small budget for each session. Save them for big river decisions and multi-way all-ins, not routine preflop folds.
How much does a paid Time Bank Card cost?
A GGPoker Paid Time Bank Card costs 1 big blind, adds 30 seconds, and only one can be bought per hand. Paid cards work exactly like free ones once they are selected. Because the price is in big blinds, the cash cost grows with the stakes:
| Example blinds | Cost of one Paid Time Bank Card |
|---|---|
| $0.01/$0.02 | $0.02 |
| $0.05/$0.10 | $0.10 |
| $0.25/$0.50 | $0.50 |
| $1/$2 | $2 |
| $5/$10 | $10 |
For the stakes GGPoker actually spreads and how rake works at each level, see our GGPoker cash games guide.
Who gets the money from a paid Time Bank Card?
The 1BB from a GGPoker Paid Time Bank Card goes to the other players at the table, not to GGPoker. At the end of the hand it is split equally among everyone seated except the buyer. If it cannot be split evenly, the players closest to the left of the dealer button get the extra. That makes the charge work like a small fine paid to the players you made wait.
GGPoker takes the cost from your account balance. If your balance is too low, it comes out of your stack at the end of the hand. If neither can cover it, GGPoker waives the cost and nobody is paid. Rush & Cash works differently: the fee comes only from your stack at the end of the hand, and is waived if your stack is too small.
Can you buy extra time in GGPoker tournaments, All-In or Fold and Flip & Go?
Paid Time Bank Cards are a cash-game feature. When GGPoker launched the system in March 2025, it said tournaments get free cards but no paid ones. It also said the cards are not available in All-In or Fold games or during the Flip stage of Flip & Go (as reported by Pokerfuse). GGPoker’s current page does not list game-by-game availability, so check the table you’re at: if no purchase button appears, that format does not sell extra time.
Why did GGPoker start charging for extra time?
GGPoker introduced paid time to deal with deliberate slow play. A GGPoker spokesperson told Reddit users the change answered “continuous player feedback” about players who kept slowing games down on purpose (Pokerfuse, March 2025). Free cards cover genuine tough spots. Stalling hand after hand now costs a big blind every time, and the players who waited get paid.
When is a paid Time Bank Card worth 1BB?
A paid card is worth buying when the pot is large compared with 1BB and you really haven’t decided. A river call for 80 big blinds is worth 1BB of thinking time. A marginal preflop spot in a 3BB pot usually isn’t. Some habits that save cards:
- Use pre-action buttons for clear folds so the clock never matters.
- Play fewer tables if you keep running out of free cards. That usually means too many decisions are piling up at once.
- Select a card early on big decisions. GGPoker applies it automatically when the clock expires, so you don’t have to click at the last second.
For players in Asia, slow or patchy mobile connections cause a lot of timeouts. A card you selected before the lag may buy you a few seconds, but it won’t fix a dropped connection. Our GGPoker disconnect rules guide explains what happens to your hand, and GGPoker app not working in Asia covers connection fixes.
GGPoker Time Bank Card FAQ
How long is a GGPoker Time Bank Card?
A Paid Time Bank Card adds 30 seconds. GGPoker does not publish the length of free cards, which can vary by game.
How many paid Time Bank Cards can I buy per hand?
One. GGPoker allows only one Paid Time Bank Card purchase per hand.
Does unused Time Bank time carry over?
No. Unused time from a Time Bank Card does not carry over to the next street or the next hand.
Does GGPoker keep the 1BB from a paid Time Bank Card?
No. The 1BB is split equally among the other players at the table at the end of the hand. The buyer gets nothing back.
What happens if I can’t afford a paid Time Bank Card?
GGPoker takes the cost from your balance first, then from your stack at the end of the hand. If neither can cover it, GGPoker waives the cost. In Rush & Cash it comes only from your stack.
Can I buy Time Bank Cards in GGPoker tournaments?
Tournaments use free Time Bank Cards. At launch GGPoker said buying extra cards was limited to cash games.