Luck

[Ocala Mike]

Interesting, though unbelievable, characters. Way dark, though I guess that's what they were striving for. Will probably watch it in January.


Ocala Mike

[Jasonm921]

Originally Posted by ten2oneormore

Hopefully I'm wrong but I don't see this show lasting very long.I just don't see it grabbing the attention of anyone who is not into horse racing.You need to have an intermediate understanding of the game to be able to grasp the slang and follow along .I mean the average viewer isn't going to know what a bug is or what letting the horse stretch its legs the last quarter in a work let alone doing it in .11 and .2 but
I guess we will see because they do have a great cast and for an informed viewer great writing but after my wife thought it was going to interest her with Hoffman and Nolte she fell asleep 20 minutes into it.

I thought the show was going to be loosely based on racing. Racing fans will understand it but goodluck getting anyone outside the sport understanding all the jargon. The putting the horse down scene was pretty realistic...almost seemed too real.

[tzipi]

Originally Posted by ten2oneormore

Hopefully I'm wrong but I don't see this show lasting very long.I just don't see it grabbing the attention of anyone who is not into horse racing.You need to have an intermediate understanding of the game to be able to grasp the slang and follow along .I mean the average viewer isn't going to know what a bug is or what letting the horse stretch its legs the last quarter in a work let alone doing it in .11 and .23.

I guess we will see because they do have a great cast and for an informed viewer great writing but after my wife thought it was going to interest her with Hoffman and Nolte she fell asleep 20 minutes into it.

I kind of agree. You'd have to know the sport to understand most of tonights conversations in the show. Great actors, but not sure how it's going to go.

[cj]

Originally Posted by tzipi

I kind of agree. You'd have to know the sport to understand most of tonights conversations in the show. Great actors, but not sure how it's going to go.

I find all of the HBO shows this way. Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood...they didn't explain the lingo, they just put it out there and let the viewer figure it out. If the show is good enough, they will.

[tzipi]

Originally Posted by cj

I find all of the HBO shows this way. Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood...they didn't explain the lingo, they just put it out there and let the viewer figure it out. If the show is good enough, they will.

I understood the lingo in the Sopranos and Deadwood. Nothing too weird there but I understand a bit what your saying. From alot of message boards though I'm seeing it wasn't so much the lingo as it was the actors "mumbling". But it's only one epsiode so far. WAY to early to judge.

[olddaddy]

Originally Posted by Pace Cap'n

Did anyone math out the cost of that pic-6 ticket?

The ticket was 3x1x4x5x3x9=1620. I never play the PK6 so I dont know what the wager is at Santa Anita. If its a .50 the 800 something they spent is right.

[olddaddy]

Could be an interesting series if they separate the hollywood mob stuff from the 4 guys that split a 2+M pk6. It would be interesting to see what the guys do with the money after they collect. But since they are already played up to be degenerates, Im sure they will piss it away quick.

[classhandicapper]

Typically, you want the first show of a series to be great so word gets out and it starts building an audience. I'm certainly going to give it another shot, but IMO this episode wasn't even close to being on the same level as The Sopranos, Boardwalk Casino, Deadwood, Dexter, or even Weeds, True Blood and others that I love.

There's so much great stuff you can do with gangsters, gamblers, the racetrack, betting coups etc... to keep the action hot, but IMO it dragged a little in spots. Maybe that was because they were inroducing all the characters, but we'll see.

I also didn't like the fact they they hit the biggest pick 6 in the first episode. Give me a break. How about getting a few bad trips, bad rides, a few impossible horses waking up, a mediocre horse sneaking up the rail to nail you at the wire, getting shut out, a late scratch that changed the race development and screwed up your horse, a mid sequence rain storm, a lost bob etc... before actually hitting a monster.

[toussaud]

loved seeing Jill Hennessy. had a mini crush on her back in the day.

interested to see what the "van berg" horse is going to do lol. you can tell that character was based very closely off Jack Van Berg. looks like a runner.k


I thought the perfect scene in the show was when the 8 broke down, and the bettors who had money on the race didn't miss a beat and just went to the next horse. never even brought it up. It's not so much wrong, it's just the nature of horse racing. I think he captured that perfectly.

I also think the mob guy is a homosexual. i can see that character arc already.


PS- jockey spending all race boxing in a 12 to 1 shot who hasn't raced in 2 years with a bug rider

[magwell]

Very disappointing........

[Valuist]

It would've been better if the bettors would've suffered an excruciatingly tough beat. Maybe not having everyone in the last leg and losing a photo. EVERYONE can identify with a tough beat. How many people out there can identify with a $2 million score?

And right off the bat? First show? And of course we had to get the obligatory breakdown.

I think the show has potential but it was way too sensationalized.

[Leparoux]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

Typically, you want the first show of a series to be great so word gets out and it starts building an audience. I'm certainly going to give it another shot, but IMO this episode wasn't even close to being on the same level as The Sopranos, Boardwalk Casino, Deadwood, Dexter, or even Weeds, True Blood and others that I love.

There's so much great stuff you can do with gangsters, gamblers, the racetrack, betting coups etc... to keep the action hot, but IMO it dragged a little in spots. Maybe that was because they were inroducing all the characters, but we'll see.

I also didn't like the fact they they hit the biggest pick 6 in the first episode. Give me a break. How about getting a few bad trips, bad rides, a few impossible horses waking up, a mediocre horse sneaking up the rail to nail you at the wire, getting shut out, a late scratch that changed the race development and screwed up your horse, a mid sequence rain storm, a lost bob etc... before actually hitting a monster.

This is not necessarily the case for shows on HBO. The Wire (arguably the best show ever) was not well received by the masses early on. HBO is premium television and can justify running a series that doesn't have a huge following if they believe that it brings in a certain audience to pay for their service.

Hitting the huge P6 was their way of trying to draw in the average gambler who doesn't bet on horses much. If you saw the scenes for the upcoming season, you know plenty of heartache and bad beats are on the way.

HBO shows can be tough to follow but that is what makes them so great. They are very real.

I thought it was a really good effort, looking forward to what lies ahead.

[Shelby]

Originally Posted by cj

I find all of the HBO shows this way. Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood...they didn't explain the lingo, they just put it out there and let the viewer figure it out. If the show is good enough, they will.

Ditto to the above.

I liked the show--except for the putting down the horse part.

The hour flew by and I was sad it was over.

And, unlike Deadwood, they only threw in one "cocksucker" phrase lol.

[breeze]

Originally Posted by Ocala Mike

Interesting, though unbelievable, characters. Way dark, though I guess that's what they were striving for. Will probably watch it in January.


Ocala Mike

I found them to be very believable. I could put a real name to each one from the 30+ tracks I have raced at.

Loved it

[tzipi]

Originally Posted by olddaddy

The ticket was 3x1x4x5x3x9=1620. I never play the PK6 so I dont know what the wager is at Santa Anita. If its a .50 the 800 something they spent is right.

You're right. I was doing a $2 ticket. I from NY Plus I forgot the "ALL" last race was 9 horses, not 8.