Dealer Secret: What\’s the Gunk?

Several readers have inquired about some cryptic comments referencing \”the brown substance\” beneath a mystery player\’s thumbnail … which apparently gave a few dealers all they needed to know about \”Poker Brasco\’s\” identity. I wasn\’t really sure what they were talking about either … but if poker has taught me anything, it has made me more conscious about fingernail hygiene. So Pokerati dispatched its investigative team to get you some answers, and here\’s what we found:

It\’s not about dirt, it\’s about felt. Apparently, over the course of a long session, players accumulate microscopic fuzzies beneath their fingernails. Like rings on a tree, this provides observant dealers information about certain players — from how long they have been playing to where else they have been playing, as each room produces its own telltale shade of table-cheedle.

Who knew?!? I mean yuck, but kinda cool.