I have been playing quite a bit of live games getting ready for the BC Poker Championships. And it dawned on me how disgusting so many are in the live game. The early bird tourney guys stroll in wearing what they just rolled out of bed in and the stink is just amazing. If it is part of the plan to tilt people based on smelling like ****t it worked. The afternoon games aren't much better and the mix of old guys with clothes that haven't seen a washer in 40 years and the young shut ins who have no concept of what deodorant and a wash before you head out means is utterly amazing. I realize poker players are degens by nature and I really shouldn't concern myself with this but playing as much live as I have I had to say something.

Just don't think about how many of them don't wash their hands after having been in the bathroom before fondling the cards and the same chips you win of them a bit later.

The hygiene of other players is my biggest problem with live poker (seriously)

Not sure OP has much of a right to complain about others odors though:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...1&postcount=14

+1

the worst is guy in seat 3 scratching his balls every 30 seconds then touching his cards and chips. I didnt want to take any chips off him (good strategy).

agree with canoe.
Body odor hasn't been a big problem for me as much as WAY too frequent gas-passing and really bad breath.

I played a single table satellite at the WSOP and was in seat 5 I think. Some big fat guy was in seat 1 with some stamps or marks on the back of his hands which I presume to perhaps from some club the night before. It was 4pm or so and the marks looked like they had been there for awhile, just hadn't been washed away.

I didn't notice anything and he seemed a nice enough guy from where I was sitting.
After he busted the dealer and the players in seats 2 and 3 all gave an exaggerated exhale and started chatting about how awful the guy's smell was. The dealer was moving as far away from him as he could as were the players in seats 2 and 3. They couldn't get THAT far from him though because he was pretty big.
I didn't really notice what was happening but they seemed surprised I couldn't smell him even from across the table because he was so bad. They all said it was making them sick and they REALLY couldn't wait for him to get knocked out.

This is awesome and clearly an exception should be made.

I am a bit of a germaphobe (hospital employee), and I always have a small container of hand sanitizer with me at the table.

Good for any time before and after coming back from grabbing food/bathroom. And also good for when I play a hand poorly, and literally want to psychologically "wash my hands" from the fact that I messed up the previously played hand

lol I agree, give him a pass on this.

Two things repulse me at the poker table and they are fat people and people who smell. So if someone who is fat and smells bad decides to sit down, no matter how much im up on the session, I just leave.

This just seems weird/toolish.

I drink a lot of water and tea when I play live so i am constantly going to the bathroom. It helps me stretch my legs and get some circulation going as well so it works for me.

I am always surprised (don't ask me why) when guys use the john and don't wash up afterwards.
Hand sanitizers are a great idea or frequent hand washing.

Guys coughing, scratching, eating with their fingers etc. are all good ways to spread germs and illness

This reg @ the River Rock who's like 350lbs and 5' 9" just a disgusting human being with such bad body odor and flaky scalp the area right in front of him looks like it snowed. I act make noises like I am going to throw up in hopes he gets the message....he doesn't though.

Thankfully most cash game players at the Rock are all tiny asian guys or old white dudes and they don't seem to smell so bad. But MAN, whenever the bcpc or other tournaments roll around it's like all the 400lb sweaty guys in sweatshirts show up and own the **** out of me.

lol haven't thought about this. I only play online and live against friends.

What if you are down, you still leave?

I rarely go to the casino for just this reason, i may be a bit of a snob and i dont care but i cannot stand 99.9999999999999% of the people i see at the casino and whenever one of those rats tries to start 'small talk' with me at the table i just nod my head and look the other way

Nah, your just anti-social.

yeah the not washing the hands after hitting the john irks me...i always wash my hands before i go and after esp when at the card shack.

Recently I had to leave the table because the guy's breath beside was so bad. Smelt like actual dog ****. The worst part is that the casino have bowls of breath mints all around the place yet this happens like every god damn time.

lol, you make it sound like the only way you can leave the table is by going to the bathroom and peeing. You realize that you can get up at anytime and stretch and you don't have to just piss.

or i know that you become like those who you keep company with. I do not want to associate with anyone i run into at the casino. LOL @ casino being your social life, ****ing pathetic

you guys are primadonnas and hand sanitizer man is your king

Does he have a tattoo on one of his forearms, and like one of those giant bulbous red noses?

Fits description of someone I played with a few times at boulevard.

I dont play much live anymore for the reasons posted and because Im kind of a germophobe, especially in the fall-spring season. From May-August I play a lot live because the weather is good and people dont seem to smell as much (AC stops any sweating)

I might play some BCPC events though, if anyone says they are 2p2 ill make sure to fart in their direction to instatilt them

Maybe your harsh words would offend me if I had played poker in a casino more than twice. Now let's settle this with a gentlemans hand shake and be off to spectate the polo.

Incase you didn't catch on with what I said, because you seem to jump to conclusions pretty quick, I think your a ****.