Whether you’re a high roller, or a virtual vagrant when it comes to your gaming acumen, most casino-goers want to project an image of confidence and sophistication. Picture in your head the quintessential playboy strolling the casino floor — they’d look out of place without a bourbon in one hand and a cigar in the other, right?
In a gaming house, cards and slot machines may well be the only items more prevalent than smokes. Cigars and the playing experience are intertwined, and that’s no real surprise. Any knowledgeable tobacconist will tell you that cigars are hundreds of years old. In fact, Cigar History Museum (yes, there really is such a place!) founder Tony Hyman says the domestic cigar industry is approaching 250 years old.
p42_illustration_optRemember your fourth-grade history lessons? Jamestown colony was founded in 1607 when the British sent pioneers to stake a claim in the new world. Among the settlers was a Londoner by the name of John Rolfe, who had an appreciation for tobacco. The Native Americans were already growing tobacco, but the strain of nicotine was harsh by England’s refined standards, and Rolfe — seeking a business enterprise — knew he couldn’t peddle the Algonquian crop back in London. So he took tobacco seeds that had entered the New World via South America and put them in Virginia’s fertile ground. Before long, tobacco was Jamestown’s principle crop, and Rolfe — who later married Pocahontas — was a thriving businessman as tobacco became the most important export from the New World.
(As a side note, the aforementioned Hyman writes in an article for the National Cigar Museum that early Native American cigars were extremely thick and measured up to three feet in length. Imagine toting one of those around the casino!)
Fast-forward to today, and tobacco doesn’t have the glorified image it once held in America. Its adverse health effects are well noted, but that doesn’t stop plenty of gamers from lighting up when they belly up to the blackjack table or their favorite slot.
“It’s no damn good for you at all, but I don’t care. At my age, I can enjoy a cigar without worrying whether it’s going to kill me,” quips William Andrews, a retiree from Alabama who agreed to speak with this writer on a March trip to Las Vegas. Andrews, who says he started smoking cigarettes while in the Navy in the 1950s, acquired a taste for cigars in the late 1980s.
“Back then, you never had a poker game without one,” he says. “I picked up on it, and it became a habit.”
Andrews says he smokes about three cigars per week, but admits that number takes an upswing when he
visits casinos.
“It’s part of it,” he says. “I like to have a cigar when I play. It makes it more enjoyable.”
There’s a segment of the gaming population that agrees with Andrews, and that’s why a variety of cigars, designed to fit any budget, can be bought in gaming houses. If you’re not a seasoned veteran and want to foster a budding interest in the cigar culture before your next gambling trip, where do you start? How do you get up to speed on the cigar?
Well, you begin by taking a cue from former President Bill Clinton — don’t inhale. Experts say the joy in smoking cigars is in the flavor. Savor it by holding the smoke in your mouth, not your lungs, and then exhaling. Just like wine, cigars come in many varieties, and each one has its own unique host of flavors. As a beginner, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to discern particular notes, such as chocolate or coffee. That kind of interpretation takes time.
Does that mean you need not spend big bucks on the highest quality cigars? Not necessarily. While some of the world’s finest smokes demand top dollar, others are surprisingly affordable. Don’t start with price. Or, at the very least, don’t let price be the only factor in making a buying decision.
When selecting a cigar, know your limits. If you’ve been around the block a few times, you might be able to handle the more intense smokes. Otherwise, start with a longer, thinner cigar. A good rule of thumb is that a cigar’s length and width determines just how mild mannered it is. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but it’ll hold true more often
than not.
If the cigars have been aged (most can hold their own for five to 15 years if properly kept), make sure they’ve been stored in a humidor. Cigars are surprisingly fragile — light and heat are natural enemies, and too much or too little moisture can kill them quickly. For that reason, humidors, as their name implies, are designed to control the humidity level of the cigars’ environment. While they can cost you thousands if you’re looking to splurge, a perfectly serviceable humidor can be bought for $150. And, for those trips to the casino, travel humidors can get the job done effectively for $25.
Humidors can malfunction, particularly if their seals aren’t solid. So examine your cigar before you smoke it. It could be overly dry or moist (you might be able to correct these problems if they aren’t too bad, but that’s another story), or it could be ruined by mold.
If your cigar has white spots on it, make a close examination. If it’s mold (which looks slightly hairy — you’ve probably seen it on strawberries), toss the smoke. If it’s what is referred to as bloom, then pat yourself on the back, because you have a delicacy in your hand!
Bloom is a word professionals use to describe the spots that appear on an aged cigar when the tobacco’s essential oils seep into the cigar’s paper. Once the oils in the wrapper dry, they leave behind white stains. Some aficionados insist that the resulting bloom adds to the cigar.
Once your cigar is selected, there’s a ritual to smoking it. First, you must cut it. While you may have seen cowboys in the movies bite the ends off of cigars, that won’t fly in the casino — not if you hope to impress anyone with your manners, anyway.
Take off the end of the cigar with a straight cut. If you want to look really cool, use a cigar cutter. In a pinch, a sharp knife will do — though the real pros will frown on it. (And this should be noted: Don’t ever cut a cigar until you are ready to smoke it.)
Once it’s cut, light it immediately.
Now that you have a quick crash course and are ready to go, how do you know the difference between a good brand and a bad one? How do you choose the cigar that’s right for you?
The pros are a great place to start. Visit your city’s tobacconist and ask them for recommendations. If your poker pals are into stogies, quiz them about their likes and dislikes. Then there’s the written word. Cigar Aficionado magazine does extensive blind testing with leading cigar experts annually. Cigars are graded on a 100-point system, and anything scoring above a 90 is a pretty good bet for your next (or first) purchase.
The magazine’s “Cigar of the Year” for last year is the Padron Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro. But at $25, it may not be a good beginner’s choice. If you want to try a true gem and not break the bank, check out the Oliva Serie V Liga Especial Belicoso. Ranked No. 5 on the Cigar Aficionado list, it’s priced at $5.90. And while, to a novice, $5 may seem like a lot to spend on a single smoke — believe us when we say $5 is a bargain for a world-class stogie. Stick to the $5-$10 dollar range until you win big,
then splurge!
Cigar Quick Tips
• Only buy cigars that contain 100 percent tobacco — no fillers necessary.
• If the cigar is lumpy, don’t buy it.
• Purchase a cigar cutter if you are going to smoke regularly.
• If you are traveling to the casino and don’t have a travel humidor, store your stogies in a Ziploc bag. If they appear to be drying out, put a paper towel with a few drops of water inside the bag with them.
• Don’t mix cigars in your humidor. The stronger ones will transfer flavor to the milder ones.
• Store your stogies at temperatures below 75 degrees.
