HYGIENE ISSUES AT THE WSOP - Posted by KatA 

The world’s best poker players apparently have more in common than their card skills. From the sounds of things, they also have a slight problem in the hygiene department. Reports out of the WSOP describe poker player hygiene as fairly dismal. Doyle Brunson twittered "they should have a hygiene policy at tournaments. Some foreign guy sat next to me and smelled so bad I almost gagged at the table". The WSOP has never been known as hygiene Mecca, but it sounds like things are getting worse as the tournament draws more players. And the desert heat certainly doesn’t help the situation. This year PokerTips.org warns against staying at the WSOP host hotel altogether. They warn that The Rio becomes an island of poker players in the summer, and that the environment wears thin very quickly. While the Rio is very close to the WSOP action, they warn that poker player hygiene is just one of many reasons to stay in a nicer hotel along the strip. They say “Poker players are annoying, smelly, and disgusting people who stand in the hallway complaining to someone who isn't listening about how their Ace-King got cracked. It doesn't take a whole lot of exposure to that environment before the thought of getting the hell out of there sounds fantastic." Obviously not all poker players refuse to shower before sitting down to play, but in that Vegas heat, all it takes is one to punish an entire room. So to anyone heading out to Vegas for the Main Event, remember…long lasting deodorant is always a safe bet.