Macanudo Millionaire Contest Winners Jet to Vegas for chance to Win $1,000,000 at The Playboy Club

Sunday, November 06 2011

Richmond, VA—Macanudo®, America’s best-selling premium cigar brand, announces John Muirhead of San Antonio, Texas is the national essay contest winner of the third annual Macanudo Millionaire contest. Muirhead and his guests, three fellow veterans, will fly to Vegas this weekend to play for the million-dollar prize.

Muirhead is a native Texan and military veteran who retired this week after completing 21 years of active duty. His winning essay details his memories of smoking Macanudo cigars – from his first puff with his older brother, to enjoying his beloved Macanudo Maduro cigars in far flung countries such as Iraq, Slovenia and Kosovo where he was stationed during his years in the military. 

He will be joined in Las Vegas by these lucky winners who were selected in the national cigar catalog retailer sweepstakes: Kerry Malone, Chattanooga, TN (JR Cigar); Matthew Clarke, Light House Point, FL (Mike’s Cigars); Jim Nickels, Cinnaminson, NJ (Holt’s Cigar Company); Fred Fuller, Bryant, Arkansas (Best Cigar Prices); James Pinch, Winston Salem, North Carolina (Cigars International); William Millar, Renton, Washington (Thompson Cigar); and John Spiers, San Mateo, California (Famous Smoke Shop).

Muirhead and his guests, along with Malone, Clarke, Nickels, Fuller, Pinch, Millar and Spiers, each with a guest, are set to enjoy an all-expense-paid, three-day, two-night trip to the Palms Hotel and Casino where they will be accompanied by four Playboy Playmates for high-stakes poker and VIP evening at the legendary Playboy Club.

While in Sin City, on Saturday November 5th, Muirhead and his guests, along with one winner and guest from the preliminary game for national retail winners, will each be dealt a hand of poker. If either the contest winner or his guests receive a straight flush, they will win the $1,000,000 prize, courtesy of Macanudo. Just in case Lady Luck isn’t feeling generous, Playboy Playmates Alison Waite (Miss May 2006), Shannon James (Miss May 2007), Jennifer Pershing (Miss March 2009) and Pennelope Jimenez (Miss March 2003) will be on-hand to cheer the guys to victory.

Alan Willner, vice president of marketing for General Cigar, parent company of Macanudo, commented, “The Macanudo Millionaire contest has generated tremendous excitement among cigar smokers across the U.S. Together with the team at Playboy, we are gearing up for a very exciting weekend in Vegas and look forward to sharing the results with the media and consumers who have actively followed the contest since its kick off in July.”

Updates about the Macanudo Millionaire contest will be posted to the contest’s dedicated Facebook and Twitter accounts throughout the weekend of November 5. Video footage and photos chronicling the weekend and the VIP evening at the Playboy Club will be featured on the Macanudo Millionaire website following the weekend of November 5.

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