In this special and glorious return to our normal podcasting schedule (because something has to return to normal in this clusterfrack of a year), Jason offers some updates plus the "new normal" for VLO before enjoying an aged Liga Privada No. 9

Podcast 444: Back from the Brink; Cigars in the Caribbean; Big Bad Baptista; Underberg Digestive

Apr 22nd, 2020

Time to resurrect VLO this Easter season, with an admin note about the last few months plus a reflection on enjoying cigars and rum in Bonaire. Jason is joined by his friend Alaric to review the Big Bad Baptista beer plus the Underberg herbal d

Podcast 443: Welcome to the New Age; Plus, Honoring Tony with Outtakes

Jan 12th, 2020

In the first podcast in the post-Tony era, Jason outlines the 2020 strategy for content and programming, then pays homage to his former co-host with a collection of outtakes from the last 100 or so episodes.

Podcast 442: 2008 Dom Pérignon; Rocky Patel Aged, Limited & Rare; 2020 Gaming Predictions

Dec 29th, 2019

Tony goes out with a bang, as we toast the new chapter in his podcasting life with a pour of the 2008 Dom Pérignon champagne. Jason smokes the Rocky Patel Aged, Limited & Rare cigar -- then we wrap with our annual tradition of offering our gami

Podcast 441: Spiced Pear Bourbon Cocktail; Micallef Bold Mata Fina; Vegas: The 9th Hawaiian Island

Dec 22nd, 2019

Warning: The VLO Christmas train derailed upon entering the station. We sip the spiced pear bourbon cockail before Jason shares his experience with the Micallef Bold Mata Fina cigar. We wrap up with a reflection about how -- thanks to The Cal -

Podcast 440: Cranberry Cinnamon Whiskey Sour; Five More Cigar Facts; Vegas Imagery Over the Years

Dec 15th, 2019

After sipping a cranberry cinnamon whiskey sour, your czars of cigars impart five more facts about cigars (we started this list in November) before wrapping up with a reflection on how the "image" of Vegas influenced mid-century approaches to g

Podcast 439: Jason’s Blueberry Martini No. 1; Undercrown Shade; AF Destino al Siglo; Cold-Weather Humidification; Casinos at the Holidays

Dec 8th, 2019

Sip the tasty Jason's Blueberry Martini No. 1 as we discuss the Undercrown Shade and the Arturo Fuente Destino al Siglo cigars. We offer some cold-weather reminders for cigar humidification, then we circle back to an annual topic -- enjoying th

Podcast 438: Saugatuck Brewing Neapolitan Milk Stout; Alec Bradley Gatekeeper; Arturo Fuente Reserva Xtra Viejo; Cigar Preference Evolution; Biggest Table Wins in Casino History; An Admin Note

Dec 1st, 2019

We begin with an important programming note about the show. We then sip the Saugatuck Brewing Neapolitan Milk Stout before reviewing the Alec Bradley Gatekeeper and Arturo Fuente Xtra Viejo cigars. We riff about how our cigar preferences have c

Podcast 437: Hot, Cold & Bloody Mary Saki; Herrera Esteli Miami; Oliva CT Reserve; Cigars at Thanksgiving; 9 Biggest Casino Heists in History

Nov 24th, 2019

We saki-it to you with hot saki, cold saki, and a Saki Bloody Mary. Then Jason smokes a Herrera Esteli Miami and Tony smokes an Oliva CT Reserve. We share some tips for group cigar enjoyment over Gobble-Gobble Day, then we wrap with a review of

Podcast 436: Fall Ginger Smash; Kristoff Shade Grown; Micallef Sumatra; Caesars-Eldorado Shareholder Vote

Nov 17th, 2019

We enjoy a tasty Fall Ginger Smash cocktail before launching into reviews of the Kristoff Shade Grown and the Micallef Sumatra cigars. We wrap with a review of last week's shareholder vote for the Caesars-Eldorado merger and share our fevered h

Podcast 435: Peerless Rye Sip of Summer; Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic; Cavalier Genève Black No. 2; 10 Things to Know About Cigars

Nov 10th, 2019

In which, we sample the Peerless Distilling "Sip of Summer" Rye, the Arturo Hemingway Classic cigar and the Cavalier Genève Black No. 2 cigar. We also introduce the first five items in our list of ten things to know about cigars.

Podcast 434: Peerless Bourbon; Blind Man’s Bluff CT; Cavalier Genève; Heirloom Cigar Seeds; Slow Playing Blackjack

Nov 3rd, 2019

Sip the fiery first-in-a-century bottling of Peerless bourbon. Smoke the Blind Man's Bluff CT and Cavalier Genève cigars. Learn about heirloom cigar seeds and how to slow-play blackjack. Because you've earned it.

Podcast 433: Shoulder Monkey; Skill-Based Gaming; Cigar Wrappers; Cohiba CT; Plasencia Alma Fuerte

Oct 27th, 2019

Shoulder Monkey! Shoulder Monkey funky. We review this blended Scotch as well as the Cohiba Connecticut and the Plasencia Alma Fuerte cigars. And don't miss our refresher about cigar wrapper leaves and about the outlook for skill-based gaming i

Podcast 432: Old Granddad BIB; Myths & Facts of HR 1854; Timeless Sterling; FSG by Drew Estate; Comps — VP vs Slots

Oct 21st, 2019

We start by sipping the Old Granddad bottled-in-bond bourbon. Mixed reviews. On a cigar front, Tony smoked the Timeless Sterling whilst Jason puffed the FSG by Drew Estate. On the "more you know" front, we share some facts and myths around HR 1

Podcast 431: Col. E.H. Taylor Small Batch; Gurkha Marquesa; La Palina Bronze; 10 Worst Bets at the Casino

Oct 13th, 2019

Get your autumnal groove on with a dram of the Col. E. H. Taylor Small Batch bourbon before diving into a Gurkha Marquesa and a La Palina Bronze-label cigar. We wrap up this "succinct" show with a tour of the 10 worst bets in the casino.

Podcast 430: A Dram from the Infinity Bottle; Nestor Miranda 75th Anniversary; Davidoff Nicaragua Diadema; 10 Best Bets in the Casino

Oct 6th, 2019

After sampling from Jason's infinity bottle, Jason -- in a #ThanksDuane moment -- reviews the Nestor Miranda 75th Anniversary Collection cigar. Tony smokes the Davidoff Nicaragua Diadema. We wrap up with a conversation about the 10 best bets in

Podcast 429: Makers Mark Private Select Oak Stave Selection; Ultra Q Cigar; Single- Triple- and 100-Play Video Poker

Sep 29th, 2019

In today's excursion into podcasting excellence, we sip the Makers Mark Private Select Oak Stave Selection while Jason reviews the Ultra Q by Oscar Valladares. We then briefly riff on the differences between single-, triple- and 100-line video

Podcast 428: Edmundo Dantes 15-year & Santiago de Cuba 11-year, Cuban Rums; Two Cuban Cigars; Pai Gow Primer

Sep 22nd, 2019

In this Cuba-themed show, we enjoy the Edmundo Dantes 15-year and Santiago de Cuba 11-year rums as well as two hand-rolled cigars -- all straight from Cuba, and gifts of the wise and generous friend of the show, Roy. We wrap up with a primer ab

Podcast 427: Las Vegas Reflections, Five Whistle Pigs, Patron 1964 Maduro, Liga Privada No. 9

Sep 15th, 2019

To celebrate All Things Jason, we reflect on Vegas Vacation IX, including the 360 Whiskey Lounge (five Whistle Pigs to review!) and the Montecristo Lounge (Padron 1964 Maduro and Liga Privada No. 9) events. We also chat about our gambling refle

Podcast 426: @KYPeerless Rye Honey Oak & Citrus Manhattan; @CastleAndKey Martini; The Oscar from @OVcigars; Punch Gran Puro Nicaragua; Losing at Winstar; Shiny New Horseshoe Southern Indiana

Sep 9th, 2019

In our first recording session back from summer vacation, we share snippets of the fun Jason and Tony had in Louisville, KY and that Jason had in Denton, TX. Through which, we sample a Manhattan made with Peerless Rye's special Honey Oak & Citr

Podcast 425: Two Dragon’s Milk Beers; La Palina Mr. Sam; Diesel Whiskey Row; Casino Security

Sep 2nd, 2019

We sample two special releases of New Holland's Dragon's Milk line of beers -- the triple mash and reserve maple oak. Tony doesn't enjoy a La Palina Mr. Sam while Jason kinda-sorta enjoys a Diesel Whiskey Rwo cigar. We wrap up with a reflection

Podcast 424: Black Manhattan Cocktail; Romeo y Julieta 1875 Cuban Puro; Camacho Liberty Series 2012 Throwback; Facial Recognition in Casinos

Aug 25th, 2019

We pack a lot of great content in to a less-than-30-minute show! After sipping a delicious Black Manhattan, Tony briefly recounts his story of a Romeo y Julieta 1875, a Cuban he received as a gift. Jason, meanwhile, smoked the 2019 release of t

Podcast 423: An Angel’s Envy Rarity; Alec Bradley Blind Faith; Jason Rants at Boyd’s @bconnected Program

Aug 11th, 2019

Summer vacation is almost over, but the podcasts continue ... slowly. In this episode, Jason rants at Boyd Gaming and its [insert expletive here] B-Connected program. Plus, we drink a special Angel's Envy and enjoy an Alec Bradley Blind Faith c

Podcast 422: PB&J Old Fashioned; AF Don Carlos; Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142; Sportsball Gaming Stats for NV and NJ

Jul 28th, 2019

Podcast 422, 7/28/19 … We continue through the canine days of summer with a shorter episode showcasing a Skrewball PB&J Old Fashioned, courtesy of Phil. On the cigar front, we ...

Podcast 421: Havana Club 7-year Rum; Reynaldo; Alec Bradley Project 40 Experimental Series; Michigan Gaming Forecast

Jul 14th, 2019

Our annual summer vacation starts with an homage to Cuba, thanks to some Havana Club 7-year rum and a tasty hand-rolled cigar, courtesy of Roy. Jason also had a cigar -- an Alec Bradley Project 40 Experimental Series stick. We wrap it up with a