In the days of smoky back-room poker, cigars were the perfect accessory for every hard-boiled poker buff. From the stogie-chomping pros in “The Cincinnati Kid" to C.M. Coolidge's famous poker playing dogs, cigars were a integral component in any given game. The tough-guy game of yesteryear, however, has undergone something of a domestication, and with it, cigars seem to be going up in smoke, so to speak. Poker's newfound legitimacy, having become the new All-American pastime, has also translated into a change in standards. No longer considered a game of the underworld, poker- the sport, as it's often referred to today- has, for better or worse, been given a white-washing.

In an increasing number of cases, poker's new squeaky clean image is smoke-free. Sure, you'll still find many home gamers indulging in the occasional “fat one" and, playing online, people can smoke themselves silly if they so choose. Nevertheless, many live poker rooms, including the major Vegas joints, have done away with smoking, cigars and cigarettes alike. Cigar smoking in poker is thus losing much of the debonair once attributed to it. No longer a sign of casual, disaffected cool, cigar smokers are now hanging out in the separate smoking lounges many poker rooms have that serve their smoking clientele.

This new era of poker is certainly promising, and the move to take smoking out of the poker rooms of the world is certainly the better, healthier option in the end. Nonetheless, the end of the affair between cigars and poker signifies something greater; it signifies the gradual loss of the old-time poker hero, the one who's rough and tough and takes the pot. And that, my friends, is something worth commemorating.

Source:  Poker777 Staff

Thursday, 29 December 2005