[astroglide]

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I kid, I kid. Just make a comment at dinner like "yeah and i was playing poker, cashed out for $1900 but when I got home, I only had $1800 in my pocket. strange, huh?" then make not-so-obvious eye contact with the kid, and gauge his response.

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many people already think poker gains = funny money. if i were actually trying to recover my loss instead of lay blame, i think i would avoid directly mentioning poker. it's already hard enough to defend a position of need an alleged thief when money was taken from what they would probably consider a large roll of cash.

the kid avenue just doesn't sound like it would work, and i can't make any assumptions about your relationship with your brother or his disposition. the first idea that comes to mind is to openly search for the money in front of everyone, like after dinner. encourage people to see it as a problem that they can help you solve, and don't accuse anybody of anything. it must simply be lost, and you must have lost it. maybe your brother will approach you and say theft has been a problem in his household. it also gives the kid a chance to "find" it or get scared and confess to his father, etc. minimal risk to potentially open doors.

i'd also pitch the note. i think a thief might just get analysis paralysis and hope for the best when actually confronted, but only virtually.