otb riff raff/Friday trip report

[wiffleball whizz]

Just feel like blowing off steam but at the same time wondering if you guys have these bums/riff raff at your local otb/track...

I call out of work tonight so I don't have to drive 2 hours back and forth....we were going to the meadowlands but it was traffic so we settled for otb....

Walk in and you see the bottom tier of gambling degenerates here....like this site has some of the best handicappers in the world (TLG cj) my local otb has some of the best handicappers in the world......let me explain

There was a 1 1/2 mile rave at del mar tonight.....now 70 percent of the people are yelling in the lane first time around for the 6 to beat the 11.....now keep in mind THE PEOPLE THAT ARE YELLING HAVE A PROGRAM IN FRONT OF THEM.....so what are they handicapping if they don't know it's a mile and a hook??!?!??

Now at this point after a hour I'm stuck 140 but having a great time....seeing people I used to see there every night 5 years ago,..I'm buying everybody drinks and laughing.....

Now I'm betting Saratoga harness I got this track figured out And hitting some decent numbers but as I'm watching the 1 tv in the track I run into this guy......we all know THIS GUY....what ever comes in this guy has it....30/1 at northfield 3/5 at Yonkers everytime a horse hits the wire this guy is cashing...even when he is rooting a horse that has 5 deep strech and the shadows come this guy has the winner.....this guy swept the card at 7 tracks tonight!!!!!!! And everytime I was behind this guy at the machine his voucher wax $3.60 6.20 9.80 you know this guy can't lose....

Anyways as the night is rolling along I go on a huge brush fire hitting like 4 $60 win bets in a row hitting like a 7/2 /3/1 and a couple other "slashes"(chalks) now keep in mind I'm betting every track tonight cuz I'm gonna be out of action for a month starting in a few days.....now I'm buried again....stuck 400 and it's getting late......as in 10:30 and I feel like I'm running out of frames...

Maywood park......6 is taking all kinds of action and shows nothing on paper and a stiff driver.....I figure they know more then me I go $100 win and bet tri with the 2 and 6 on top with other horses.....to make a long story short the 6 never sees the rail and wins in a death grip Im very happy I got the tri and a nice win bet on a 3/1.....I throw my friend my voucher to try and get him kick started it was for about $26 or so......sure enough the 6 starts flashing and OF COURSE after 7 minutes of vomiting the board goes blank and down goes frazier......I get taken again a f****** gain........when will it stop when will it stop...

So as soon as I gave my friend the voucher he Made a B-line to the windows that would make usain bolt look like a snail he pops a number somewhere and runs the 26 up to 228......now he throws me 100 but im so furious about the maywood dq I fire the 100 in on a few dead plays.....

So I get finished off for the night when I got $58 to win on a dead 7/5 at the meadowlands!!!!!

Total loss tonight $476 to the minus!!!!

Now as for the clowns at this otb there is the famous guy who sweeps 7 cards tonight Abd walks out with prob $17 totally bullshit artist....


You have the woman that's been arrested for writing bad checks who is the go to person when they need a signer....there is other guy there too that just sits there and waits to sign IRS tickets....don't know how they get away with it

Now you have the guys who go there just to swoop in on lost vouchers.....there about 6 of these guys there....

Now you have the tellers do have zero intention of giving you your change when you cash for $101.30 the 1.30 comes out slower then molasses...

Also at this otb is the scrounger....this guy constantly is trying to borrow .50 or $1 to "make a bet".....

Does this filth go on at your local betting establishment? It's like I gotta feel lucky to walk out not getting pick pocketed....


Otb = bustout breeding ground!!!

Rant over :lol: :lol:

[bobbyb]

Wiff
You need to start your day with a decent meal in ya...........lol

How about - Mud City Crabhouse in Manahawkin :)

bobby

ps: Your gonna miss all that excitement in AC when you move :lol:

[Tom]

Be thankful they are there, betting the same pools you are.

[johnhannibalsmith]

We need to give a Pulitzer style Eclipse here for posts.

One of the rare authors that can write a novel like that about some randomness in his life and get me snared from start to finish. Kudos.

[wiffleball whizz]

Wiff
You need to start your day with a decent meal in ya...........lol

How about - Mud City Crabhouse in Manahawkin :)

bobby

ps: Your gonna miss all that excitement in AC when you move :lol:

I'll miss new jersey like a root canal when I leave.....to be in a state where they are dumb enough to let all the money go across to new York
And Pennsylvania and not put a casino in north jersey I've seen enough

I'll be in a better place in Maryland.....

2 hours after I posted this thread I fell asleep and got a call that our poker room was closing August 15.....I'm moving August 10 and start new job on the 12th....for once in my life I catch a break

[wiffleball whizz]

Be thankful they are there, betting the same pools you are.

That's what I always say to myself....if I can't out handicap these morons and they are morons I deserve to eat out of garbage cans....

Why spend $4.50 for a simulcast book when at the top of the strech first time around and your rooting?!?!? What can you possibly be handicapping?!??

[Hoofless_Wonder]

Wiff's "riff raff" post - an instant classic.

Thanks for posting! And yes, many OTBs and racetracks offer up the same experience all over the country. It's like being on TV show or a bad movie - Hollywood can't write a better script when it comes to the degenerate gambling experience.

Tough break at Maywood, which I think is Hell on Earth for harness racing. Box the 1-2-3 and hope for the best....

[Lasix67]

Greatest post EVER!!!!!

[wiffleball whizz]

The only thing that may be a lie in my post was maybe I lost 470 instead of 476....$6 on soda and popcorn for the circus I was at!!!!!

And your right u can't write a Better script then what u can see at a otb....lowest of the low....

[lamboguy]

you should come down to the Haskell, i will have about 40 people there

[speed]

Loved the OTB on my corner growing up. Greatest times may have been when several would be arguing about a inquiry on a horse. You would here the 3 ran straight as an arrow, no he didn't he veered out and crushed the 6. Are you crazy he clear as day drifted out and interfered with the 6. Fights would often break out during the inquiry. This was back when there was no video just audio. :lol:

[wiffleball whizz]

you should come down to the Haskell, i will have about 40 people there

Really? I get out of work at 6am gotta drive 2 hours home my boss horse is the 3rd race dont think he can win though

Where are you gonn be I may stop in for a few

[lamboguy]

Really? I get out of work at 6am gotta drive 2 hours home my boss horse is the 3rd race dont think he can win though

Where are you gonn be I may stop in for a few
i will be in a room that is part of the sports bar downstairs. my wife is dropping me off there and i am going to take the train north to woodbridge after the races.

[thaskalos]

I would bet that a similar cast of characters can be found in every OTB in the country.

At my local OTB, we got guys going broke and walking out without paying their lunch tabs...other guys who sit in close proximity of the SAM machines waiting for a gift from the most careless among us...and also my friend "Tony", who has a table and a simulcast program waiting for me when I get there...so I can feel obligated to him and throw him a bone if I should happen to cash a decent ticket.

One day..."Nick" gave me a program before Tony spotted me -- and Tony scolded him severely for trying to steal away his "customers".

[Stillriledup]

I know what you mean about the guy who always picks the winner..you have guys like that at every track and simo outlet. No matter who wins, they have it and are more than happy to tell you about it.

The guys who are also loveable are the ones who are rooting like madmen for the 5 horse down the stretch, you know, the horse with the 5 length lead..than all of a sudden the 8 comes roaring and the guy goes from screaming "cmon 5, cmon 5 to ...cmon 8 cmon 8, yeah 8, go 8, go 8 WOOHOO ITS THE 8 BABY!!"
Those "slow pay" tellers are the best though...if i cash for 89 dollars and 17 cents, what i do is the "pretend move" and it works like this.

You hand the guy the ticket and you know the 17 cents is going to get slow paid...so you PRETEND you are distracted at the window...you look at your phone or something else and pretend you are not paying attn...that way, he sees you're not focused on getting the money and has no other choice than to put the 89 and 17 on the counter.

The teller is counting on you being focused on that money coming to the table...so he will put the money up there hoping you are razor locked onto the bills, but if you are 'not paying attn' you have him where you want him

Works like a charm. :D

Oh yeah, and i LOVE the "congratulations" guys and gals. You take an absolute beating for the day, youre face is bashed in and you've lost hundreds if not thousands. You go up there for the final race and cash in your 392.75 voucher (after starting with a grand) and they say.....wait for it.....CONGRATULATIONS!!! :D

[PhantomOnTour]

Years ago there was an Arab guy in the OTB that would entertain me every day.
When he won a race he would loudly say, "Eeeeeeeeeeasy race sharmoota!"
I later found out that sharmoota means "whore" in Arabic...just made the whole thing funnier for me.
He loved Mr Prospector..."This horse has the mistera prospectorrrrr (roll that R) in his bloodlines"

Then there was the crazy old lady in the Dolly Parton wig who would stand under the TV monitor, snap her fingers at her hip, and root from the moment they left the gate...."Come on wis dis hoss boy, come wis him boy!"
Never knew who the hell she was rooting for. She would go silent when they crossed the wire - no celebrating, no crying.

[magwell]

SRU I didn't get the 17 cents bit ?...... anyway I cant stand it when someone is yelling for a horse that's about to run mine down in the stretch....BTW .Whizz your stories are classics ......:ThmbUp::ThmbUp:

[Stillriledup]

Years ago there was an Arab guy in the OTB that would entertain me every day.
When he won a race he would loudly say, "Eeeeeeeeeeasy race sharmoota!"
I later found out that sharmoota means "whore" in Arabic...just made the whole thing funnier for me.
He loved Mr Prospector..."This horse has the mistera prospectorrrrr (roll that R) in his bloodlines"

Then there was the crazy old lady in the Dolly Parton wig who would stand under the TV monitor, snap her fingers at her hip, and root from the moment they left the gate...."Come on wis dis hoss boy, come wis him boy!"
Never knew who the hell she was rooting for. She would go silent when they crossed the wire - no celebrating, no crying.

Have you ever gotten a "bloodclot" while watching a race? :D

[Stillriledup]

SRU I didn't get the 17 cents bit ?...... anyway I cant stand it when someone is yelling for a horse that's about to run mine down in the stretch....BTW .Whizz your stories are classics ......:ThmbUp::ThmbUp:

Just an example of an "odd" amount of money, i picked that amount out of the air to illustrate my point.

[PhantomOnTour]

Have you ever gotten a "bloodclot" while watching a race? :D
Do you know what "bloodclot" means?
It's a very nasty insult...think for a moment how the word "cloth" is pronounced in the Caribbean...they say "clot", so if you are a bloodcloth...whatcha think that is, hmmmmm?

There is also "bumbaclot", which really means buttcloth, another nasty phrase.

[Stillriledup]

Do you know what "bloodclot" means?
It's a very nasty insult...think for a moment how the word "cloth" is pronounced in the Caribbean...they say "clot", so if you are a bloodcloth...whatcha think that is, hmmmmm?

There is also "bumbaclot", which really means buttcloth, another nasty phrase.

Yes, i know, i've "researched" it after i heard certain people saying it over and over again. :D

[magwell]

Do you know what "bloodclot" means?
It's a very nasty insult...think for a moment how the word "cloth" is pronounced in the Caribbean...they say "clot", so if you are a bloodcloth...whatcha think that is, hmmmmm?

There is also "bumbaclot", which really means buttcloth, another nasty phrase. That's a very common word at Calder supposed to mean MF.......I've been told.

[speed]

That's a very common word at Calder supposed to mean MF.......I've been told.
Was just gonna say this. Used to be a bunch of Jamaican's at Calder who hung out on the 2nd floor grandstand by the race recall area. Loved those finger snaps as whipps down the lane.

[johnhannibalsmith]

...
The guys who are also loveable are the ones who are rooting like madmen for the 5 horse down the stretch...

This was always one of my favorite ways to pass the time at the races, especially on dark days when I wasn't betting but had nothing better to do but sit in the grandstand all day.

Just watch every race all day and start trying to call the order of finish at the five-sixteenths at the top of my lungs.

"Come on four six ten one, come on four six! Four six ten one! One time for the poor people!"

Then go to screaming about having the super and start shuffling up all the dead tickets on the table from the guy before me. But never get out of the chair to make a bet or cash a ticket.

Boy, that pisses people off.

[thespaah]

Just feel like blowing off steam but at the same time wondering if you guys have these bums/riff raff at your local otb/track...

I call out of work tonight so I don't have to drive 2 hours back and forth....we were going to the meadowlands but it was traffic so we settled for otb....

Walk in and you see the bottom tier of gambling degenerates here....like this site has some of the best handicappers in the world (TLG cj) my local otb has some of the best handicappers in the world......let me explain

There was a 1 1/2 mile rave at del mar tonight.....now 70 percent of the people are yelling in the lane first time around for the 6 to beat the 11.....now keep in mind THE PEOPLE THAT ARE YELLING HAVE A PROGRAM IN FRONT OF THEM.....so what are they handicapping if they don't know it's a mile and a hook??!?!??

Now at this point after a hour I'm stuck 140 but having a great time....seeing people I used to see there every night 5 years ago,..I'm buying everybody drinks and laughing.....

Now I'm betting Saratoga harness I got this track figured out And hitting some decent numbers but as I'm watching the 1 tv in the track I run into this guy......we all know THIS GUY....what ever comes in this guy has it....30/1 at northfield 3/5 at Yonkers everytime a horse hits the wire this guy is cashing...even when he is rooting a horse that has 5 deep strech and the shadows come this guy has the winner.....this guy swept the card at 7 tracks tonight!!!!!!! And everytime I was behind this guy at the machine his voucher wax $3.60 6.20 9.80 you know this guy can't lose....

Anyways as the night is rolling along I go on a huge brush fire hitting like 4 $60 win bets in a row hitting like a 7/2 /3/1 and a couple other "slashes"(chalks) now keep in mind I'm betting every track tonight cuz I'm gonna be out of action for a month starting in a few days.....now I'm buried again....stuck 400 and it's getting late......as in 10:30 and I feel like I'm running out of frames...

Maywood park......6 is taking all kinds of action and shows nothing on paper and a stiff driver.....I figure they know more then me I go $100 win and bet tri with the 2 and 6 on top with other horses.....to make a long story short the 6 never sees the rail and wins in a death grip Im very happy I got the tri and a nice win bet on a 3/1.....I throw my friend my voucher to try and get him kick started it was for about $26 or so......sure enough the 6 starts flashing and OF COURSE after 7 minutes of vomiting the board goes blank and down goes frazier......I get taken again a f****** gain........when will it stop when will it stop...

So as soon as I gave my friend the voucher he Made a B-line to the windows that would make usain bolt look like a snail he pops a number somewhere and runs the 26 up to 228......now he throws me 100 but im so furious about the maywood dq I fire the 100 in on a few dead plays.....

So I get finished off for the night when I got $58 to win on a dead 7/5 at the meadowlands!!!!!

Total loss tonight $476 to the minus!!!!

Now as for the clowns at this otb there is the famous guy who sweeps 7 cards tonight Abd walks out with prob $17 totally bullshit artist....


You have the woman that's been arrested for writing bad checks who is the go to person when they need a signer....there is other guy there too that just sits there and waits to sign IRS tickets....don't know how they get away with it

Now you have the guys who go there just to swoop in on lost vouchers.....there about 6 of these guys there....

Now you have the tellers do have zero intention of giving you your change when you cash for $101.30 the 1.30 comes out slower then molasses...

Also at this otb is the scrounger....this guy constantly is trying to borrow .50 or $1 to "make a bet".....

Does this filth go on at your local betting establishment? It's like I gotta feel lucky to walk out not getting pick pocketed....


Otb = bustout breeding ground!!!

Rant over :lol: :lol:
Ok..Which OTB was this? THis way I will know this is the place to NOT go.
One thing I have become rather adept at. Ignoring everyone.
When I do go to an OTB, I focus on my program, the monitors and the clerk or machine I bet with. That's it. It helps me to keep the mechanism clear.
If any one of these annoying individuals attempts a conversation, I give them the polite brush off. Sure they mumble to themselves or maybe just loud enough to let me know they think I am a prick. Ok, I am prick, but they will bothering someone else. Problem solved.

[thespaah]

That's what I always say to myself....if I can't out handicap these morons and they are morons I deserve to eat out of garbage cans....

Why spend $4.50 for a simulcast book when at the top of the strech first time around and your rooting?!?!? What can you possibly be handicapping?!??
I don't understand why you find it compelling to pay these people any mind at all.
Or do you consider these people to be free entertainment?

[tanner12oz]

Kentucky downs had a screeching guy like I never heard before at any of the pa orbs I've attended...if anyone frequents the place they probably know exactly who I'm talking about...place looked like a bingo hall and was more cavernous then some caves in ky

[thespaah]

I would bet that a similar cast of characters can be found in every OTB in the country.

At my local OTB, we got guys going broke and walking out without paying their lunch tabs...other guys who sit in close proximity of the SAM machines waiting for a gift from the most careless among us...and also my friend "Tony", who has a table and a simulcast program waiting for me when I get there...so I can feel obligated to him and throw him a bone if I should happen to cash a decent ticket.

One day..."Nick" gave me a program before Tony spotted me -- and Tony scolded him severely for trying to steal away his "customers".
His customers?...No kidding. Reminds me of those who return from third world countries explaining how every kid in the area is hanging around the airports and hotels looking to carry their bags from here to there.
Do you ever just buy "Tony" a voucher and let him play? Or get him a bite to eat?
Tony seems like a genuine guy. I would feel pretty crappy if I had a bad day and went 'oh-fer' and had nothing to give him.

[thespaah]

I know what you mean about the guy who always picks the winner..you have guys like that at every track and simo outlet. No matter who wins, they have it and are more than happy to tell you about it.

The guys who are also loveable are the ones who are rooting like madmen for the 5 horse down the stretch, you know, the horse with the 5 length lead..than all of a sudden the 8 comes roaring and the guy goes from screaming "cmon 5, cmon 5 to ...cmon 8 cmon 8, yeah 8, go 8, go 8 WOOHOO ITS THE 8 BABY!!"
Those "slow pay" tellers are the best though...if i cash for 89 dollars and 17 cents, what i do is the "pretend move" and it works like this.

You hand the guy the ticket and you know the 17 cents is going to get slow paid...so you PRETEND you are distracted at the window...you look at your phone or something else and pretend you are not paying attn...that way, he sees you're not focused on getting the money and has no other choice than to put the 89 and 17 on the counter.

The teller is counting on you being focused on that money coming to the table...so he will put the money up there hoping you are razor locked onto the bills, but if you are 'not paying attn' you have him where you want him

Works like a charm. :D

Oh yeah, and i LOVE the "congratulations" guys and gals. You take an absolute beating for the day, youre face is bashed in and you've lost hundreds if not thousands. You go up there for the final race and cash in your 392.75 voucher (after starting with a grand) and they say.....wait for it.....CONGRATULATIONS!!! :D
That is a person who is mining for a tip.
Now, I have to ask, where in the hell did these tellers ever get the idea they were supposed to expect a gratuity for cashing a voucher or even a winning ticket? I can see throwing a teller a little something if I bought the ticket from him or her and cashed the ticket with that same person.
If I am using a machine for the day and then go cash, I have no intention of tipping the teller. Why should I? A gratuity is a token of appreciation for good service performed.

[PhantomOnTour]

His customers?...No kidding. Reminds me of those who return from third world countries explaining how every kid in the area is hanging around the airports and hotels looking to carry their bags from here to there.
Do you ever just buy "Tony" a voucher and let him play? Or get him a bite to eat?
Tony seems like a genuine guy. I would feel pretty crappy if I had a bad day and went 'oh-fer' and had nothing to give him.
I used to "take care" of an elderly fella at my OTB years ago.
After sitting near him for years and watching him lose and lose I decided to give him a 16-1 shot at Remington that I absolutely loved.
Well, he won, and this guy thought I was the king of all horseplayers.
We kinda became OTB buddies and I would get him lunch and give him some horses I liked whenever I was there...he was always there.

[thespaah]

SRU I didn't get the 17 cents bit ?...... anyway I cant stand it when someone is yelling for a horse that's about to run mine down in the stretch....BTW .Whizz your stories are classics ......:ThmbUp::ThmbUp:
The teller is hoping the bettor forgets the change and pockets it.
A lot of them do it. And after hundreds of cashes in a given shift, the tellers can pocket quite a nice little chunk of change.

[Zydeco]

I would bet that a similar cast of characters can be found in every OTB in the country.

At my local OTB, we got guys going broke and walking out without paying their lunch tabs...other guys who sit in close proximity of the SAM machines waiting for a gift from the most careless among us...and also my friend "Tony", who has a table and a simulcast program waiting for me when I get there...so I can feel obligated to him and throw him a bone if I should happen to cash a decent ticket.

One day..."Nick" gave me a program before Tony spotted me -- and Tony scolded him severely for trying to steal away his "customers".

This is funny!

[thaskalos]

That is a person who is mining for a tip.
Now, I have to ask, where in the hell did these tellers ever get the idea they were supposed to expect a gratuity for cashing a voucher or even a winning ticket? I can see throwing a teller a little something if I bought the ticket from him or her and cashed the ticket with that same person.
If I am using a machine for the day and then go cash, I have no intention of tipping the teller. Why should I? A gratuity is a token of appreciation for good service performed.
In a bad economy, people do what they can in order to make a little extra money. :)

At my local OTB, Mondays and Tuesdays are pretty dead...and they only have one teller working the windows. At the end of a long day...I'll go to the teller to cash out a $500 voucher.

"Good job, sir"...she'll tell me with a straight face -- even though she knows full-well that I had bought about $2,000-worth of vouchers from her throughout the day.

[Zydeco]

This was always one of my favorite ways to pass the time at the races, especially on dark days when I wasn't betting but had nothing better to do but sit in the grandstand all day.

Just watch every race all day and start trying to call the order of finish at the five-sixteenths at the top of my lungs.

"Come on four six ten one, come on four six! Four six ten one! One time for the poor people!"

Then go to screaming about having the super and start shuffling up all the dead tickets on the table from the guy before me. But never get out of the chair to make a bet or cash a ticket.

Boy, that pisses people off.

This is funny and good!

[JustRalph]

We need to give a Pulitzer style Eclipse here for posts.

One of the rare authors that can write a novel like that about some randomness in his life and get me snared from start to finish. Kudos.

I was going to post something similar. Wizz you should be writing fiction

[wiffleball whizz]

I was going to post something similar. Wizz you should be writing fiction

Hahahahaha I'm the dumbest person on this board....just With technology I can text stories just like I'm telling them!!!!

These are just racing stories what if I told you guys what I see at work,....you would be on the floor laughing so hard....

[thespaah]

Hahahahaha I'm the dumbest person on this board....just With technology I can text stories just like I'm telling them!!!!

These are just racing stories what if I told you guys what I see at work,....you would be on the floor laughing so hard....
Anyone with the ability to shoot from the hip and put their story into words without hesitation is no dummy.
Keep spinning your yarns.

[tanner12oz]

Otbs locally are dropping like flies kinda sucks the next generation of players doesn't get to experience it because the orb is really a key component to what makes the game and its participants unique

[tanner12oz]

There was an Asian guy named Sam at an orb a use to play at
...always played dime supers and literally after every race he would show me like a 600 combination ticket with like one horse that hit the board..not even in the right position and say sheeet I should have had it in his thick accent and then begin explaining why to me for like 5 mins...he was a trip...misery loves company and I would buy him a beer whenever I had a nice score..
could rattle off a million other characters I met over the past 10 years...

[Stillriledup]

This was always one of my favorite ways to pass the time at the races, especially on dark days when I wasn't betting but had nothing better to do but sit in the grandstand all day.

Just watch every race all day and start trying to call the order of finish at the five-sixteenths at the top of my lungs.

"Come on four six ten one, come on four six! Four six ten one! One time for the poor people!"

Then go to screaming about having the super and start shuffling up all the dead tickets on the table from the guy before me. But never get out of the chair to make a bet or cash a ticket.

Boy, that pisses people off.

If someone is rooting in an angry and egotistical way, if their horse stops in the stretch, i start rooting really hard for whoever looks like the winner. I've also, on occasion, "waved goodbye" to the horse the guy was rooting for. as in "bye bye 5, you're all done".

:D

[wiffleball whizz]

Everybody says my posts are instant classics but thaskalos has some gems as well....!!!!!!! Maybe it's just the poker that brings it out!!!!!!!

I really can't tell you guys how much I can't stomach the crowd at this otb.....If I told you what I really thought it wouldn't look good.......why is it that otb bring in the worst caliber of people?? And yes I know if I see them there it means im there too!!!!!

Im still shaking my head from last night......why are people buying programs if they don't know the race is a mile and a half.....isn't the first thing you look at as a flat player how far is the race?!?!

The guy that swept 7 cards last night is my hero....I used to see this guy at freehold years ago and looking back he never missed a race there either.....

I love interacting with people as I'm in the customer service industry but the cats at otb I couldn't tolerate

Oh I forgot to mention the staff at otb....they have a kiosk when you walk in if you wanna her free books and whatnot.....by accident I hit the button for a free Bayonne simulcast book when I should have it woodbridge I figures they were all the same....I put the ticket on the table and get a book the guy says thank you....5 min later him and some security guard come over with some rotten attitude saying is this Bayonne? Are you gonna pay for this?! I was like I'm sorry I made a mistake......there trying to interrogate me they are horrible in customer service....

I won't be back to this place.....between the employees and Vikings that bet there I'm lucky to get out of the place with my eye teeth....they would rob from there own parents......

I will make an exeption though....if anybody wants to meet me there I will give them the tour of the place and point out everybody I mentioned Abd buy drinks in the process,.....it is truly the bottom of the barrel......

But like all you guys say I'm sure you have your own cast of characters at your local equine betting establishments :lol: :lol: :lol:

[thespaah]

Everybody says my posts are instant classics but thaskalos has some gems as well....!!!!!!! Maybe it's just the poker that brings it out!!!!!!!

I really can't tell you guys how much I can't stomach the crowd at this otb.....If I told you what I really thought it wouldn't look good.......why is it that otb bring in the worst caliber of people?? And yes I know if I see them there it means im there too!!!!!

Im still shaking my head from last night......why are people buying programs if they don't know the race is a mile and a half.....isn't the first thing you look at as a flat player how far is the race?!?!

The guy that swept 7 cards last night is my hero....I used to see this guy at freehold years ago and looking back he never missed a race there either.....

I love interacting with people as I'm in the customer service industry but the cats at otb I couldn't tolerate

Oh I forgot to mention the staff at otb....they have a kiosk when you walk in if you wanna her free books and whatnot.....by accident I hit the button for a free Bayonne simulcast book when I should have it woodbridge I figures they were all the same....I put the ticket on the table and get a book the guy says thank you....5 min later him and some security guard come over with some rotten attitude saying is this Bayonne? Are you gonna pay for this?! I was like I'm sorry I made a mistake......there trying to interrogate me they are horrible in customer service....

I won't be back to this place.....between the employees and Vikings that bet there I'm lucky to get out of the place with my eye teeth....they would rob from there own parents......

I will make an exeption though....if anybody wants to meet me there I will give them the tour of the place and point out everybody I mentioned Abd buy drinks in the process,.....it is truly the bottom of the barrel......

But like all you guys say I'm sure you have your own cast of characters at your local equine betting establishments :lol: :lol: :lol:
I will preface by noting that I am from NJ but now live in North Carolina..
With that in mind the closest legal place for me to make a pari-mutuel wager is in Ridgeway, VA at a Colonial Downs OTW site. This is about 60 miles north of Greensboro, a stones throw from the NC State line.
It is perhaps the only place where one can make a few bets then scamper on foot over to watch a NASCAR race. No kidding. This place is in eye shot of Martinsville Speedway.
Takes me about 2 hrs to get there.
I have been in OTB's in NYC , Downstate NY and Upstate, NY as well as the Carlisle, PA OTB...
I can say without a doubt that no matter where one finds an OTB there is a general mix of people that use these places. Invariably, there is the degenerate gambler, the beggar, the loudmouth, the married couple who argue....One thing I can say with all conviction, the only thing the separates the people from NY from those in southern VA is the accent.
The Ridgeway OTW attracts some nice people and it also gets its share of rednecks from hell.
One great thing is VA wisely passed an anti smoking law for public places. The first visit I made to this place was in the mid 2000's. Breeders Cup Day.
One side was non-smoking. That side had reserved seats. The other side was the puffer's palace. Of course where are the only available seats at 11.00 am when I arrived? You got it....I could imagine being in the back room where the 1930's political deals were done.

[RunForTheRoses]

I've been to the Woodbridge OTB about half dozen times for a somewhat lengthy stay(usually in the restaurant) and about two dozen times to deposit/withdraw from my njbets account. I never saw anything too bad in that place although I always went in the day and am very familiar with Jersey horse racing patrons from Freehold to Toms River OTB to my years working as that lowest of low creatures a mutuel teller at MTH and sometimes Meadowlands( for the record I don't give a shit if any y'all tip but reading posts her you would think it was some great lucrative job-it isn't. All the freaks and crazies you write about as a teller you get to see up front day to day and unless you have oodles of seniority the pay is shit). For the most part I like to stay out of those places. It can be nice to have a cubicle to lay out the form, etc own little TV. Sometimes at home I can get too distracted, but some loudmouth flake always has the horse that beats me at the wire at these places and as a teller I learned that 95% of the time those loudmouths have maybe $2 show on the horse. Freehold I used to think was the worst. The TR facility is practically a nursing home but it has a nice bar area.

[wiffleball whizz]

I think this thread may be a first that we all agree that otbs per square inch house some of the lowest of the low.....

In my opinion when they have these gambling problem commercials all the have to do is show u a few pictures of the scenes at a otb and say this will be you if you keep gambling it should sink in pretty fast with the kids....

Seeing guys paying for bets with change is classic,,..I find it funny...

Im making u guys a promise.....I want to stay out of this filth ridden environment but Unfortunatly I'm gonna have to go there for Saratoga harness I'm gonna get out my phone Abd take a video of the guy who hits every race....I want you guys to witness it first hand!!!

Ive come up with the doomsday scenario after driving 4 hours tonight...imagine having a girl dump you then you walk into the otb and now your surrounded by the filth of the earth knowing the girl is having a better time with some other guy then you blow your case $13 betting a 4/5 to win at either northfield park or you actually sunk your case 13 into a 14 horse dime super at Evangeline when a 65/1 wins by 7 and you don't have him on the entire ticket....that's a doomsday scenario!!!!

[TheEdge07]

In a bad economy, people do what they can in order to make a little extra money. :)

At my local OTB, Mondays and Tuesdays are pretty dead...and they only have one teller working the windows. At the end of a long day...I'll go to the teller to cash out a $500 voucher.

"Good job, sir"...she'll tell me with a straight face -- even though she knows full-well that I had bought about $2,000-worth of vouchers from her throughout the day.

Classic

[Phantombridgejumpe]

Mylute the best 3yo in the country yet?

[ronsmac]

Wiffleball whiz you're the man. If you go to Timonium give me a yell, I have to shake your hand.

[affirmedny]

A lot of the riffraff in Woodbridge are refugees from the Staten Island OTBs. I'll never forget the time in SI they DQed the winner of the last race and some guy who had him walked out very quietly then came back a few minutes later and threw a rock through the TV screen.

[PhantomOnTour]

Mylute the best 3yo in the country yet?
:lol:
I love it...never been a fan of this colt, and he really ran poorly yesterday

[jk3521]

Went to the OTB in Brewster last week one day, hadn't been there in a while. It was so disgustingly filthy in there, hardly anybody playing, no sound from race call on the monitors. I walked out after I put a few bets in and went to my car in the lot, turned on my laptop and picked up the Wi-Fi signal from the Dunkin Donuts down the hill and watched the races that I bet from there.

[Grits]

The OTB that I go to is clean and well kept. And they mix my Crown and water nicely, too. Of course, it has your garden variety degenerates. I'm use to them. I'm just better dressed. Still, they're things I'm grateful for.

I mean, really, this is where I learned the .. racing term.

DIE, MOTHER******, DIE!! :lol:

[Tom]

I bet your send out really interesting greeting cards, Grits! :eek: :lol:

[JBmadera]

I sort of miss the riff-raff, the degenerates and the drunks (hmmm, sounds a lot like me..... :eek: ) but all things considered the home OTB is really the only way to go, at least that is what local law enforcement requires..... :ThmbUp:

[Grits]

I bet your send out really interesting greeting cards, Grits! :eek: :lol:

NNNNOOOOO. I told you I learned it. This doesn't mean I say it. :lol: Couldn't you see me yelling that in the PA tent at Saratoga!!

[rastajenk]

I'm sure it would go viral in no time.

[wiffleball whizz]

Mylute the best 3yo in the country yet?

Lololololo was looking for the thread that was debated after the Preakness....good memory!!!

[wiffleball whizz]

Wiffleball whiz you're the man. If you go to Timonium give me a yell, I have to shake your hand.

Yes Ron I'll be at timonuim.......it will be great times.....being I will be broke I'll be avoiding the $8 admission like the plague!!!!

[Hoofless_Wonder]

OTBs today are a world better than the old days when smoking was allowed. Used to hate the OTB in Springfield (IL), with the stale smoke mingling with the stench of fresh urine was only enhanced by the not-so-friendly staff being antagonistic and combative. One of the worst experiences I had was stopping in at Bluegrass Downs (Paducah) where the smoke was so thick I could hardly breathe. And I grew up with my parents smoking unfiltered Pall Malls, so it wasn't like I hadn't experienced it before.

On the other hand, I've been to some nice OTBs too - the Cracked Claw in Maryland (now closed I believe), and the simulcast facility at Quad Cities aren't bad, and Philly had a nice OTB downtown when I was there back in 1997 or so.

Regardless of the facility though, there's usually some degenerates lurking nearby to make the stay less than pleasant. Getting online wagering restored here in Illinois just prior to the Belmont was damn near like winning the lottery....

[thespaah]

Mylute the best 3yo in the country yet?
Decent allowance and over night stake horse ambitiously placed by his connections.
Over achieved earlier this year. Down to Earth now.

[thespaah]

Went to the OTB in Brewster last week one day, hadn't been there in a while. It was so disgustingly filthy in there, hardly anybody playing, no sound from race call on the monitors. I walked out after I put a few bets in and went to my car in the lot, turned on my laptop and picked up the Wi-Fi signal from the Dunkin Donuts down the hill and watched the races that I bet from there.
That is unreal. Brewster isn't exactly a slum.

[Mineshaft]

Decent allowance and over night stake horse ambitiously placed by his connections.
Over achieved earlier this year. Down to Earth now.




after the Triple Crown races Amoss was still working the horse every 7 days. Look at his workout pattern. Horse was zapped of energy.

[thespaah]

after the Triple Crown races Amoss was still working the horse every 7 days. Look at his workout pattern. Horse was zapped of energy.
That will do it. Gotta let the horse get some rest and allow him to freshen up.

[thespaah]

One thing for the life of me is why OTB management do not make the smallest effort to keep out the bums, drunks, beggars and other useless piles of organic matter.
As a business owner, I would want only those who intended on patronizing what I have to offer while inside my establishment.

[Phantombridgejumpe]

we never officially made a wager.

[onefast99]

Anyone remember the furniture guy who bets $10k a race in the VIP room at Favorites in Woodbridge? He would bet every combination known to man on every race, if he didn't have that combination when the race was over he would blame the teller. Here is one for you wizz, 2008 Kentucky Derby my friend invites me to the VIP room at Favorites, Mr Furniture is there betting every race yelling screaming acting like he was in the pit during the stock market crash of 2008. This guy was down about 45k he comes over to where we are sitting and asks us for our picks. My friend who could do no wrong that day gives him the tri fecta, Big Brown, Eight Belles and Denis of Cork. He tells us why would you put a filly in with the boys that makes no sense. He walks away and we all get a laugh. The race is run its cash or go home time, this nut comes over to us and shows us a tri-fecta ticket 20/5/16 box for $360.00 he has the triple 30 times! He thanks my friend walks up to the window and cashes in over a 100k in tickets. Now you would figure he is going to come back over and hand a few Ben Franklins or a gift card for a new couch to my buddy, nope he gets the security guard to escort him out of the place. I agree with you wizz there are degenerates at the OTW's and they come from every walk of life!

[ronsmac]

Yes Ron I'll be at timonuim.......it will be great times.....being I will be broke I'll be avoiding the $8 admission like the plague!!!!
Please don't get me started on the admission, I always felt the people who bet should get some kind of voucher or something for the fair admission.

[thespaah]

Anyone remember the furniture guy who bets $10k a race in the VIP room at Favorites in Woodbridge? He would bet every combination known to man on every race, if he didn't have that combination when the race was over he would blame the teller. Here is one for you wizz, 2008 Kentucky Derby my friend invites me to the VIP room at Favorites, Mr Furniture is there betting every race yelling screaming acting like he was in the pit during the stock market crash of 2008. This guy was down about 45k he comes over to where we are sitting and asks us for our picks. My friend who could do no wrong that day gives him the tri fecta, Big Brown, Eight Belles and Denis of Cork. He tells us why would you put a filly in with the boys that makes no sense. He walks away and we all get a laugh. The race is run its cash or go home time, this nut comes over to us and shows us a tri-fecta ticket 20/5/16 box for $360.00 he has the triple 30 times! He thanks my friend walks up to the window and cashes in over a 100k in tickets. Now you would figure he is going to come back over and hand a few Ben Franklins or a gift card for a new couch to my buddy, nope he gets the security guard to escort him out of the place. I agree with you wizz there are degenerates at the OTW's and they come from every walk of life!
"No good deed goes unpunished"..
If it were me, you'd have gotten an amount equivalent to a Bill no longer printed.
Oh, I would have duct taped the guy's car door handles.

[wiffleball whizz]

Anyone remember the furniture guy who bets $10k a race in the VIP room at Favorites in Woodbridge? He would bet every combination known to man on every race, if he didn't have that combination when the race was over he would blame the teller. Here is one for you wizz, 2008 Kentucky Derby my friend invites me to the VIP room at Favorites, Mr Furniture is there betting every race yelling screaming acting like he was in the pit during the stock market crash of 2008. This guy was down about 45k he comes over to where we are sitting and asks us for our picks. My friend who could do no wrong that day gives him the tri fecta, Big Brown, Eight Belles and Denis of Cork. He tells us why would you put a filly in with the boys that makes no sense. He walks away and we all get a laugh. The race is run its cash or go home time, this nut comes over to us and shows us a tri-fecta ticket 20/5/16 box for $360.00 he has the triple 30 times! He thanks my friend walks up to the window and cashes in over a 100k in tickets. Now you would figure he is going to come back over and hand a few Ben Franklins or a gift card for a new couch to my buddy, nope he gets the security guard to escort him out of the place. I agree with you wizz there are degenerates at the OTW's and they come from every walk of life!

I think I heard this story.....was his name davie? Short guy usually walked around with a bottle of Beer? I heard a story he took it out in wheel barrels a few times,.........?

If that's the guy I get info at Yonkers 1 night and I figure if I give this guy a winner hell throw me sometimg....make a long story short he bets the exacta for $600 I got it for 30 and I get the air sandwich and then walks over and says if you hear anything else let me know......I just yessed him to death....

If your at the Woodbridge otb let me know we can get a good laugh....

Was his name davie

[wiffleball whizz]

Anyone remember the furniture guy who bets $10k a race in the VIP room at Favorites in Woodbridge? He would bet every combination known to man on every race, if he didn't have that combination when the race was over he would blame the teller. Here is one for you wizz, 2008 Kentucky Derby my friend invites me to the VIP room at Favorites, Mr Furniture is there betting every race yelling screaming acting like he was in the pit during the stock market crash of 2008. This guy was down about 45k he comes over to where we are sitting and asks us for our picks. My friend who could do no wrong that day gives him the tri fecta, Big Brown, Eight Belles and Denis of Cork. He tells us why would you put a filly in with the boys that makes no sense. He walks away and we all get a laugh. The race is run its cash or go home time, this nut comes over to us and shows us a tri-fecta ticket 20/5/16 box for $360.00 he has the triple 30 times! He thanks my friend walks up to the window and cashes in over a 100k in tickets. Now you would figure he is going to come back over and hand a few Ben Franklins or a gift card for a new couch to my buddy, nope he gets the security guard to escort him out of the place. I agree with you wizz there are degenerates at the OTW's and they come from every walk of life!

Before otb opened in Woodbridge he went to the dining room at freehold....which in its heyday may have had a lower caliber of class then otb

And u gotta know the woman who writes bad checks and looks to sign everybody's IRS numbers......Shame on management for letting it go on

[ronsmac]

These stories remind me of Charles Town pre slots era. When they put in the automatic teller machines , You'd always have the same 5 vultures looming to see if you left your ticket in the machine by mistake.Yes , I got stung bad once. Some of the memories were good ones though, like one of the leading Jocks being so high on the favorite in the last race, and shaking his head no , to someone in the paddock, that it landed me on a 20-1 shot that a girl jock got home for me, or the time I bet a horse who blatantly was stiffed, and the next time he ran i see the jock who rode him previously, and he was one of the most popular jockeys there , in line betting him. I bet him too and watched him cruise by 3 lengths. Ahh the good old days.

[alhattab]

Please don't get me started on the admission, I always felt the people who bet should get some kind of voucher or something for the fair admission.

Funny admission comes up- maybe charging some would keep these lowlifes out. There has to be an easy way to charge admission but then once you make $x in bets or buy food or something- anything to evidence that you have more than a few nickles to rub together- you get a rebate or freebies for the next time or something.

Anyway Wiff- I've been to the Woodbridge facility a few times, always in the daytime. I've never seen the antics you describe in your fantastic stream of consciousness, but I'm sure nighttime brings out the characters. One of the first times I was there I was sitting at the bar on the far side of the place, near the snack bar. Someone says to me "this side is the OTW. That side over there (pointing to where the trashier looking people were) is the OTB". I always sit on the OTW side...

[onefast99]

Funny admission comes up- maybe charging some would keep these lowlifes out. There has to be an easy way to charge admission but then once you make $x in bets or buy food or something- anything to evidence that you have more than a few nickles to rub together- you get a rebate or freebies for the next time or something.

Anyway Wiff- I've been to the Woodbridge facility a few times, always in the daytime. I've never seen the antics you describe in your fantastic stream of consciousness, but I'm sure nighttime brings out the characters. One of the first times I was there I was sitting at the bar on the far side of the place, near the snack bar. Someone says to me "this side is the OTW. That side over there (pointing to where the trashier looking people were) is the OTB". I always sit on the OTW side...
Woodbridge is a pretty safe place no matter where you go. The McCloones keeps out the trash hunters but you still get that one guy who has every horse in the race but the one that actually ends up the winner!