Offensive Body Odor Gets Player 86ed From Borgata

Long-time poker player Michael Wax was eighty-sixed from the Borgata Casino’s poker room for his body odor, which caused a number of complaints from others at the table.

The 440 pound Wax had been playing 17 hours straight when he was approached by a casino manager in the restroom, who told him that his body odor was offensive to others at the table and several complaints had been received.

Wax brushed off the message, attempted to return to his seat, only to be told to stop playing and leave the premises. When Wax asked whether the casino would allow him to freshen up in a vacant hotel room, they refused and instead asked Wax to leave immediately.

Wax, a frequent player at the Borgata’s poker room, complained to the Casino Control Commission for embarrassing him in front of the other poker players. His complaint is now under review.

Though he admits to the body odor problem, Michael seeks an apology from the casino for what he claims is public embarrassment, although the casino brought the issue to his attention in the privacy of the restroom.

It’s hard to tell who’s right and who’s wrong if you weren’t there to witness these events, and I was not. But we’ve all played at tables where there’s one player in dire need of a bath and deodorant, and it’s not enjoyable. So my take on this—and I’m operating on hearsay because I wasn’t there—is that the casino did its customers a favor by tossing the offending poker player, although if he is a good customer and regular player and vacant rooms were available, there’s no reason why they couldn’t have allowed him to shower and freshen up before returning to the table.

That’s one of the hidden advantages of online poker. If someone has been playing 17 hours straight and is in real need of a bath, that someone is you. There are never anyone else’s grooming issues to cause you grief when you’re the only one in the room.

And while we’re talking about online poker, just take this reminder to heart. Lately the poker games have been nothing short of terrific at Bodog. And if you log on to play a while and haven’t showered, no one’s ever gonna know!