Posted by Jed Lewison on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 7:47 PM Pacific

Wash your hands!

It's even worse in Vegas casinos, where I play. The Wynn supposedly has the cleanest chips.

When Cards and Germs Are Wild
One of the fastest ways to catch a cold? Your regular poker game.

No matter what version of poker you play, it’s a game where bluffers prosper. But some scientists have found that money isn’t the only thing people put to chance when they gather around the card table.

If you play the game regularly, you are likely to win an opponent’s achy, oozing cold. In fact, the sniffles are a more sure bet than going home with the most chips.

Lucky you. “Let’s say you’re sick, you cough into your hands, you pick up the cards and you shuffle and deal,” says Dr. Will Sawyer, of Cincinnati who has devoted his career to spreading the gospel of proper hand washing.

Wash your hands!

It's even worse in Vegas casinos, where I play. The Wynn supposedly has the cleanest chips.

When Cards and Germs Are Wild
One of the fastest ways to catch a cold? Your regular poker game.

No matter what version of poker you play, it’s a game where bluffers prosper. But some scientists have found that money isn’t the only thing people put to chance when they gather around the card table.

If you play the game regularly, you are likely to win an opponent’s achy, oozing cold. In fact, the sniffles are a more sure bet than going home with the most chips.

Lucky you. “Let’s say you’re sick, you cough into your hands, you pick up the cards and you shuffle and deal,” says Dr. Will Sawyer, of Cincinnati who has devoted his career to spreading the gospel of proper hand washing.