A Dostoyevsky Afternoon
This is a reflection on a gambling moment or two that happened yesterday. July 1st is Canada Day, sort of like the 4th of July in the USA. Woodbine, Ajax, Hastings and Gulfstream all had live racing yesterday and I was going to take advantage of the opportunity to watch and play the horses. I bought three programs with the plan of picking specific races, being selective and winning some money so I could continue playing. The TVG account had some cash in it from a late Pick 3 at Los Alamitos. Groceries had been bought, maintenance fees paid, and electronically the cable and utilities were paid up and the Eagle was flying even if he had not landed.
One of the reasons I have survive playing horses and dogs for over thirty years is a voice in the back of my head that keeps saying, "I hope I break even today, I need the money". Another key to staying alive is saying thank you for the track for closing down for the day and giving a player a chance to go home, eat a meal and do something else like maybe having a job or reading a book.
I started at Ajax Downs outside of Toronto, the Quarter horses were running there. I lost the first race. This was only a minor inconvenience. Pick 3s at the races can happen. Favorites win about 30% of the time and with the takeout happening only once instead of three times for a three horse parlay good things can happen if a little bit of studying and some luck are working.
Long story short. 3/2 x 1 x 7/2 paid $14.10 for $1.00. The pool was tiny, it was a handicapping success, should have been a financial failure but I won a couple of dollars on the bet and had a trifecta that paid $56 with all my horses in the pick 3 finishing 1,2,3 in the 4th race.
I chalked that one up as a W. Maybe I should get one of those flags Cubs fans take out when they win and put it on the front door. The TVG account is still standing and the Bud Lite Lime was bien fria. I turned off the computer, not wanting to tempt the gambling gods any further on Canada Day.
Usually, I have trouble following my own advise, first post at Ajax is about 1:00 pm Tuesday.
One of the reasons I have survive playing horses and dogs for over thirty years is a voice in the back of my head that keeps saying, "I hope I break even today, I need the money". Another key to staying alive is saying thank you for the track for closing down for the day and giving a player a chance to go home, eat a meal and do something else like maybe having a job or reading a book.
I started at Ajax Downs outside of Toronto, the Quarter horses were running there. I lost the first race. This was only a minor inconvenience. Pick 3s at the races can happen. Favorites win about 30% of the time and with the takeout happening only once instead of three times for a three horse parlay good things can happen if a little bit of studying and some luck are working.
Long story short. 3/2 x 1 x 7/2 paid $14.10 for $1.00. The pool was tiny, it was a handicapping success, should have been a financial failure but I won a couple of dollars on the bet and had a trifecta that paid $56 with all my horses in the pick 3 finishing 1,2,3 in the 4th race.
I chalked that one up as a W. Maybe I should get one of those flags Cubs fans take out when they win and put it on the front door. The TVG account is still standing and the Bud Lite Lime was bien fria. I turned off the computer, not wanting to tempt the gambling gods any further on Canada Day.
Usually, I have trouble following my own advise, first post at Ajax is about 1:00 pm Tuesday.
Comments
Post a Comment