This germ stuff is overblown. If you play live you're exposed to everything that's going around. Some health experts ought to do a study to see if it's as good as getting immunization shots. My dog eats stuff off of the floor, disregarding the 5 second rule and he's fine. A few bugs aren't going to hurt you.

By that logic hospital workers can safely snack barehanded while handling patients, they're totally exposed to whatever's going around anyway.

Dogs have the benefit of a digestive system that can handle mildly flyblown roadkill, so I'm not sure the 5 seconds rule applies to them, I guess maybe it's a 5 day rule.

Hospital workers follow protocol based on risk assessment done by professionals. Poker players have been conducting an 'experiment' for the past long while: Touch the chips, money, don't wash hands after using the rest-room, sneeze and cough on each other, play while sick and shovel food into their mouths with their hands and it turns out they aren't dying from it. It can be gross but it's not going to kill anyone.

im sosososo glad no food allowed at the tables in our ontario poker rooms. you cant even bring in anything to eat, has to be far far away from the tables.

The one time that I brought a Subway sandwich the poker room's food service manager told me to take it to the bar area, lololol.......

Anyway, no table-side food service is bad for someone who's in a time game and bad for the recs that come to play and don't want to miss a hand.

Agree.

It's not.

Probably true, but I'm not sure the "ew gross" crowd is concerned about the health of the eater. They're concerned about the cards getting greasy or dirty.

people get super hungry so of course during a 5-8hr session people are going to want to eat. if they are kinda hungry and see someone else eat, their appetite will prolly get hungruer

You'd think that poker rooms would know better than to serve fried chicken. When it's the special at Talking Stick there's grease all over the cards every time.

ETA: One of the name pros was eating chicken wings at the table and he came out w/: 'The rest of you shouldn't order this. I'm a pro. You see the way I'm eating these w/ one hand and playing w/ the other? Don't order these chicken wings until you are good enough to do the same.'

I still chuckle over that.

I have played in a room where eating was allowed but chicken was banned.

That's a well run room.

Banning chicken is way overkill. In a FR game you basically have enough time in between hands to go to the vathroom, scrub your hands and forearms, walk out surgeon-style, take a bite, go back to the bathroom, scrub your hands and forearms, and be back in time for the next hand.

Slight exaggeration, but fried chicken is fine, just give everyone five wet-naps with their meal.

The man sits enjoying his hot coffee and playing his 3/6 limit game.

Oops! He dropped a dirty chip into his coffee! Better use a fork to fish it out.

The chip comes up a fresh sparkling white.

The man continues drinking his coffee.

i used to be whatever about food and then i was playing at foxwoods and the entire table/game broke for 2 hours while all the recs ate together

I've read this story several times in my years on this forum and it makes me literally queasy every time.

The best/worst part is that isn't some $15 cocktail at a room where booze isn't free. It's a goddamn free coffee. BARF.

Lady next to me has her stir fried rice delivered. Player next to her 'That smells good! What is it?'
'Stir fried rice.'
'Is it spicy?'
'No, but there's this hot sauce.'
'I might order it!'

I get post roast w/ broccoli. Someone asks what it is 'Pot roast w/ broccoli' 'Is it good?' 'The post roast here is excellent.' 'I might order that.'

It's almost as bad as having to overhear a hand story from the guy that just busted out of the tournament.

I get sick average twice a month playing poker. Most severely I contracted viral pericarditis and had to be hospitalized after being ill over a month. So I beg to differ.

Washing hands is fine and something I do regularly but unless doing it every time you touch a germ source (literally every hand) you risk contracting tons of germs.

The main problem with eating is finger foods. Someone touches cards or chips then their hamburger. Now they have germs all over their hamburger which they will ingest. Someone eats fried chicken and licks his fingers, then touches cards or chips. Now the cards or chips contain his oral bacteria as well as microbes from the chicken. Do you guys have any idea how long bacteria can live on plastic surfaces like poker chips? Most live several days minimum and some live years.

I am really glad there's no eating at the table here or I would probably be dead by now.

Whoa, you're catching serious diseases at the poker table and you keep going back? That's dedication right there. Tell you what, though. I play against mostly regs and they're still alive after 20 years eating in the poker room.

You are speaking of a single Ontario poker room I am guessing. Because the one I work in and all the neighbouring rooms allow food at the table. And no, you can't bring anything in to eat ... which is true for almost every business in the country. Maybe some wine with a cork fee?

Salt use properly is a flavor enhancer

rama and niagara falls? both dont allow food

Alright, last one, bec I could keep this up forever:

I was playing Talking Stick's 2-3-300 spread limit which is so boring that it's better to sit outside and watch the wind blow, imo. That means that I had the time to watch a player at the next table eat his meal w/ only the knife. There's the fork, sitting right there, but he's only using the knife which, it turns out, is not the best choice for eating sauteed broccoli. He stabbed at a broccoli w/ the knife, it skidded out of the way. Obv solution is obv: hold the greasy broccoli in place w/ your hand and skewer it. A piece fell off? No problem: pick up the greasy broccoli w/ your fingers and shove it into your mouth. It's healthier than fried chicken, got to give him that, but, jfc, why can't you use the fork? What branch of science explains this behavior, that's what I want to know.

Totally standard. If food is comped and looks good, people will ask. I don't eat at the table 'cause I lose a little concentration, but I'll still ask, if it's good.

Also, if you like food: to know that there is a large and decent variety at local casinos is always good. Hell, when I'm about to leave, one of my favorite lines is "I'll have whatever he's having"

I never eat at the poker table either but when someone brings food, it tends to smell and it’s hard not to notice.

Also poker players need food to survive.

Yeah but what's the point in living without teh gamble?