day nine- playin' some ponies

so the air is all buzzing with the belmont stakes. apparently its all about the triple crown this year. maybe big brown will win...maybe not.

there is an OTB (off track betting) establishment on third avenue by work and while i was out walking i did something i have never done before... i walked in.

i have often walked past these places and truth be told they are not the prettiest of sights.

when i think of the horse races i think about people all dressed with their binoculars and parasols drinking gin and tonics enjoying the races. maybe i have seen to many period movies.

obviously the off track betting is not the fancy thing we remember from the movies. there is usually a crowd of people smoking outside on the street and if you look inside there are people holding their little tickets watching the screens.. trash everywhere on the floor.

now i have been on the inside, a buck64 in hand.

the only problem? i have no idea what to do. how do you bet on the ponies? i have no clue.

the woman at the window was very cheery. i asked her if i could bet a buck64. she said "no." apparently i can only bet the whole dollar. she was very curious about the buck64 question so i gave her the scoop on what i am doing. she laughed and said it was crazy, but a good idea.

so down to the betting. as i am saving up the kitty for the weekend i asked how i could bet. the minimum to bet on a win was two bucks so that was out.

i asked what i could do with my dollar and then i found out about the three horse bet. the details to me are bit sketchy, but i think i have it down. the trifecta i think.

i pick three horses in order of their finish. if they finish in that order i get paid.

i don't know how much i could win. though anything i do win goes right into my pocket. see the rules. to the right.

who did i bet on? in order?

big brown
casino drive
guadacanal.

i figure the 50-1 shot would come in last. after reading up, i now realize that i should have picked casino first.

we will see.

i'm tempted to run back with twenty bucks to bet again with my own money.

i really want to thank all the people who helped me with the betting. they were very friendly and encouraging.

so...

wrapping up
588.58 at the start
one buck spent
587.58 to go.

the kitty stands at 3buck98.

i am so gonna spend that tomorrow.

i got plans. my week of saving is going to net me a nice little bonus for a hard week. something i have been thinking about all winter.