by: Jeff Hudson
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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