Pool rooms and pimlico!

R

richiebalto

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was at pimlico race course yesterday,it seem like a ghost town for a saturday at the race track,saturday is always the biggest day for horse racing,the purses are bigger and so better quality horses are racing,which usually brings bigger crowds,thats not true anymore for maryland horse racing,it is a dying game here in baltimore,just like my home pool room in dundalk that is going to close any day now,being at the track yesterday reminded me as being in the pool room, no action like it used to be,at 1 time in our pool room more then half of the regulars went to the race track atlease a couple times a week,i guess times are a changeing here in baltimore,when i couldnt get no action in the pool room i would run to the track,that seems like that mite not be an option much longer,here in maryland!
 
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because it was dead, does that mean you ran into Birthday Boy Keith and Jam? Do we know if they got a birthday present from the horses in the form of a trifecta or something?:)
 
"CaliRed". said:
because it was dead, does that mean you ran into Birthday Boy Keith and Jam? Do we know if they got a birthday present from the horses in the form of a trifecta or something?:)
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Hey cali,they must of been in the club house,i always stay in the grandstands,i did promise keith drinks all day at the track if i seen them,but after the first 3 races ,i wasnt looking to hard to find them,if u know what i mean!
 
Richie

I use to go to the track 5 or 6 times a week and the poolroom the same always in some kind of action only for around 40 years.The answer is POKER sites took over and the chop will kill all the horse players and pool players. It was always fun with or without money and there was always action because most guys put other guys in action.
 
I know what you mean. Not only don't we have any pool rooms that survived our tracks are closing as well. I'm about 5 miles from Rockingham Park. You used to have to be shuttled on a bus to get to the clubhouse because you were so far away from the front door. Now, the state of NH will not even authorize a racing commission so they can hold even harness racing. The flats are long gone. Wonderland Park was a dog track- you used to have to call to reserve seats on a Friday or Saturday, is now boarded up and closed.

I understand Pimlico is like Suffolk Downs and Rockingham. All hanging on by their fingernails praying for slots so they can stay alive. If not, they will just become a shopping mall.

Bob
 
richiebalto said:
Hey cali,they must of been in the club house,i always stay in the grandstands,i did promise keith drinks all day at the track if i seen them,but after the first 3 races ,i wasnt looking to hard to find them,if u know what i mean!
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Richie, Keith and I ended up going to Cracked Claw, an OTB in Urbana, MD, which also was a ghost town, compared to what it usually was last time we went.

They ran out of "book" programs, and so Keith had to handicap using the paper Racing Forum, which was a nightmare that got worse and worse. There were papers all over the place. Add to that the fact that we had trouble seeing the little teeny TV screens on the walls.

The lady at Cracked Claw told us that since Charles Town Casino opened up their poker rooms and table games, the Cracked Claw is really losing a lot of business. Add to that the fact that you can smoke in Charles Town Casino in some areas, and you cannot smoke in Cracked Claw anywhere, so smokers have to go outside.

Which is okay by me, though Keith had to hoof it up and down the steps to catch a drag. :grin-square:

The lady at Cracked Claw said that all the seats for the Derby and other races are booked up at $25 a pop at Charles Town for reservations. There's no seats available at this time.

I got a call from a pool croney I've known since he was a pup in my neck of the woods not so long ago, and he said the whole pool gang goes to Charles Town now. He said it's like a Who's Who in Pool at the Charles Town poker room. :cool:

The only thing good about Saturday for me was a pound of fresh jumbo shrimp that Keith and I split. Those nags at Pimlico were sliding all over the mud, and we couldn't catch a race. By the time Santa Anita came, our allotted funds were dwindling. Actually, I was pretty proud that Keith managed to stretch out $400 and last 7 hours at Cracked Claw before we went bust. There was a time when $400 wouldn't have lasted an hour in times gone by.

Anyway, all our gambling and action players seem to be going to Charles Town, West Virginia. This is bad news for Pimlico, Laurel, and Cracked Claw. Actually, it's also bad news for Atlantic City. I heard that you can't even get a slot machine on the weekends in Charles Town. They're raking in the dough. :)

It's actually a beautiful drive up there from where I live, a little over an hour on a scenic route once you past Frederick, MD. Smoking, horses, craps, poker, and good food. What more can you ask for, I guess! :p

Check it out: http://www.hollywoodcasinocharlestown.com/
 
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"CaliRed". said:
because it was dead, does that mean you ran into Birthday Boy Keith and Jam? Do we know if they got a birthday present from the horses in the form of a trifecta or something?:)
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I only wish, CaliRed. The horses were not good to us this past Saturday, but it was nice to get out of the house and make a day of it. I know Keith enjoyed it. Of course, it would have been nicer to hit. He did get a couple trifectas, but they were small. The horses were running kind of funny. :grin-square:
 
doitforthegame said:
I know what you mean. Not only don't we have any pool rooms that survived our tracks are closing as well. I'm about 5 miles from Rockingham Park. You used to have to be shuttled on a bus to get to the clubhouse because you were so far away from the front door. Now, the state of NH will not even authorize a racing commission so they can hold even harness racing. The flats are long gone. Wonderland Park was a dog track- you used to have to call to reserve seats on a Friday or Saturday, is now boarded up and closed.

I understand Pimlico is like Suffolk Downs and Rockingham. All hanging on by their fingernails praying for slots so they can stay alive. If not, they will just become a shopping mall.

Bob
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Animal rights groups had a big part in killing Greyhound racing all over the US. There use to be over 60 tracks in the US, now I bet there aren't 25. Derby Lane in STPete, FL use to be packed (5000-1000 people) in the clubhouse and grandstand just about every night. Now a good night is 2000. The states big takeouts, casino's, the lottery, and OTBetting each have put nails in the coffins of both horse and dog racing. Johnnyt
 
doitforthegame said:
I know what you mean. Not only don't we have any pool rooms that survived our tracks are closing as well. I'm about 5 miles from Rockingham Park. You used to have to be shuttled on a bus to get to the clubhouse because you were so far away from the front door. Now, the state of NH will not even authorize a racing commission so they can hold even harness racing. The flats are long gone. Wonderland Park was a dog track- you used to have to call to reserve seats on a Friday or Saturday, is now boarded up and closed.

I understand Pimlico is like Suffolk Downs and Rockingham. All hanging on by their fingernails praying for slots so they can stay alive. If not, they will just become a shopping mall.

Bob
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Yes pimlico is in the same boat,and to think that pimlico has 1 of the triple crown races,if they ever close down an lose that,then its shame on somebody!how can you have 1of3 biggest races in our country and struggle to stay open,i know now adays its the slots,but they didnt seem to have any problems years ago!
 
richiebalto said:
Yes pimlico is in the same boat,and to think that pimlico has 1 of the triple crown races,if they ever close down an lose that,then its shame on somebody!how can you have 1of3 biggest races in our country and struggle to stay open,i know now adays its the slots,but they didnt seem to have any problems years ago!
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I dunno, Mon!

The track is basically a place wher one can to burn money.

Lotsa people don't find this an acceptable hobby.
 
We all know the pool scene isn't what it used to be and horse racing is struggling too.

What most people fail to realize in the US is gambling is bad for any society in the long run. We have a government that continues to spend and spend, and taxes more and more using gambling as a way to finance their debt. A little bit of gambling is not so bad, but we now have lotteries in a just about every state. Daily, weekly, and multi-state lottories...scratch offs...riverboats...online gambling...etc.

It is a system that can not sustain itself. You can't gamble your way out of debt or continue to increase taxes or sell off public land and property as some cities and states have done. You can't continue to borrow either from countries like China.

If and when the dollar collapses as the world currency, the life style of every American will change over night.

Horseracing is just one of many indicators of our economic state.
 
Black-Balled said:
I dunno, Mon!

The track is basically a place wher one can to burn money.

Lotsa people don't find this an acceptable hobby.
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Actually that is not true. You can make money at the track if you work at it. But that makes it not much fun. I admit that I am a lazy handicapper.

I would also suggest to the "Lotsa peoeple don't find this an acceptable hobby" that they should just not go to the track. I happen to like it. I kind of feel that "billiards" is a dead game, but if you want to play, it is your choice.

bob
 
Charles Town.....the home of the 4/5 winner or the $32.60 winner that you tossed because it looked like he only had two good legs....
 
doitforthegame said:
Actually that is not true. You can make money at the track if you work at it. ./...

bob
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If by 'you', you mean an individual, then perhaps...

If you mean anyone/ everyone, then you are dead wrong! The place would not exist if it wasn't taking more than paying and it takes more losers than winners to stay afloat.
 
Black-Balled said:
If by 'you', you mean an individual, then perhaps...

If you mean anyone/ everyone, then you are dead wrong! The place would not exist if it wasn't taking more than paying and it takes more losers than winners to stay afloat.
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The track doesn't care how many win. They make their money as soon as you put your money through the window in the take outs. The more that is bet (total handle) the more the track makes. You are betting against the other betters at the track. You are not betting against the track. Johnnyt
 
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