Poker and Cigars - Together Forever?
At one time those who sat at a poker table considered cigars and
poker as part of the same package. They freely puffed on their
cigars as they rolled their hands over their piles of poker
chips. Men skilled at the game of Texas Hold'em were usually
equally skilled at the art of lighting and maintaining a smoking
cigar. The cigar enthusiasts at BuyDominicanCigars.com mourn the
day in age when this scene was easy to find. Many of us think
this pastime may become a thing of the past unless the current
trend is reversed.
At the dawn of the last century, and for a period that lasted
until well into that century, all manner of gambling
establishments were populated by cigar smokers. Blackjack
tables, as well as poker tables had rings of cigar smoke
floating above them.
A host at a poker game or at a game of blackjack might be called
on to provide an implement for the cutting of one or more
cigars. Such hosts needed to furnish guests with more than poker
chips and a pack of cards. They also had to provide their guests
with plenty of cigar ashtrays. Preparations for a long poker or
blackjack game demanded more than just the accumulation of drink
and snack foods. Such preparations also included the purchase of
extra butane lighters.
Now however at the start of the 21st century things have
changed. Now the city and state rules and regulations have
called for a ban on the use of cigars at a game of Texas
Hold'em. In fact, if one now walks into a gambling casino one
cannot find a single soul puffing on a cigar. There may be cigar
smokers at such establishments, but they no longer feel free to
smoke while they play poker. A visit to Hollywood Park in
Inglewood, CA uncovers the confined area into which the cigar
and cigarette smokers have been moved. It is a small room in the
corner of a larger room. It usually contains several small
chairs and one large chair. That large chair has the ability to
provide someone with a message.
Customers just slip a quarter into the arm of the chair and then
sit back for five minutes. Then the frustrations that those same
customers might have felt at not being able to smoke a cigar
while playing poker are apt to disappear. And of course one is
free to smoke a cigar or a cigarette is this same room. Because
the smokers are unable to busy themselves with the playing of
poker or blackjack, these rooms frequently have on the walls
some interesting posters. Since Inglewood is located close to
the Filmmaking capital of the world, most of the posters focus
on early Hollywood and the early entertainers.
Even if one has no interest in smoking a cigar, and even if one
has no desire to get a message, still it is fun to examine those
posters. A close examination might allow one to find the picture
of Kirk Douglas when he was just a young man. One could look at
that picture and appreciate why he became such a star. One might
also wonder what he would say now regarding the current rules,
rules that prohibit the once accepted combination of cigars and
poker.
About the author:
Jeff Hudson is the owner and creator of BuyDominicanCigars.com, a site that offers a wide range of premium cigars from the
Dominican Republic and other fine cigar producing countries.
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