OTB behaviour

If I ever bet on a dog race I will always cheered for "Rusty" regardless of the names of the dogs. He was my pet when when I was a kid and it will make me feel good and better still confuse the people around me.

I never bet on a dog races though so as kent says, that's not my point.

They don't ask me the horses name when I place the bet. In fact they frown on it. So it isn't like I'm encouraged to memorize the name of the 16,000 claimer I think is the least worst in the field.

I think people that cheer at an OTB are showing signs of desperation anyway. Why are they so excited that their 3/5 shot is on the lead in the backstretch? My theory is that winners are quiet.

I'll quietly whisper to my friend's "what's that jackass think he's doing moving so soon?" but otherwise I'm like a teenage couple with the parents in the next room. So far as everyone around knows I'm still doing homework.

I totally here where you are coming from. I play at Great Lakes Downs, which is a OTB 99% of the time with a horse track attached and the same thing happens. I think it has to do with how many races these guys play a day. I would say a majority do not sit out a single race at whatever 1, 2, 3, or more tracks they are playing that day. That being said these guys don't even have enough time to look at the program.

Alternate theory: I know a ton of guys who just play the same numbers every day. Hence, they don't know the horse or the jockey just their numbers.

[randallscott35]

The track can be a very depressing place with guys who are just there to throw their money away.

[ArlJim78]

I'm fascinated by the habits and behavior at the OTB.
What I have noticed is that when calling for the number guys will often say this, as in "come on with this eight". I think the numbers are preferred just because there are so many races at so many tracks, the names are secondary.

At the OTB where I go it is also rather common for guys to call for the jockey,
"let's go Johnny", " get him up Victor", etc.

I think it depends on the crowd. At GLD, you have one of the least informed crowds in the country. Some very nice people, but nobody has a clue. For instance, I talked to a guy the other day who is there every day betting very big money and he tells me he hasn't had a winning day in 3 months. You should accidently have one winning day.

Originally Posted by seconditis

I think it depends on the crowd. At GLD, you have one of the least informed crowds in the country. Some very nice people, but nobody has a clue. For instance, I talked to a guy the other day who is there every day betting very big money and he tells me he hasn't had a winning day in 3 months. You should accidently have one winning day.

This could be a very important source. Ask him who he does not like for each race.
Actually I must say, I find the whole atmosphere interesting, but a little unsettling. Most of the people around me are clearly regulars, as evertime I am there, they are also, so I am a fringe friend. Occasionally I get asked what I am writing down after a race. I reply I got to watch that one again, I need to see what happened. The general reply is why? the race is over. That makes me feel I am at the track simulcast facility for the wrong reason.

[Suffolk Shippers]

Last summer I decided it was okay to indoctrinate the girlfriend into racing, so I took her up to Saratoga for a weekend. I didn't mind spending a while explaining how to bet and stuff like that. "We" played the early pick 4 that day to start and "we" were live to a single in the final leg. So, I explained that we HAD TO HAVE THE 7 win, otherwise, the first three wins were useless to us.

Well, we sat there as the race ran and she was like a fog horn wailing away for the 7 to come on home. "COME ON 7, COME ON!!!!!!! 7!!! COME ON!!!" She was so loud, and I just was looking at her and missing the finish. The 7 got up to collar the leader and we won.

I was like, "you are so loud" and she said she was just excited to win the money. Well, so was I, but the moral is, the guys screaming for the number are much like the girlfriend when it comes to the racing game. Pretty clueless. Those guys probably sit there and bet numbers all day and piss away their paychecks.

[PeteMugg]

I think it's interesting how many will spot the horse that's making up ground at the top of the stretch. Next thing ya know, everyone in the place is cheering for that one. And they all act like they had the winner, but no one is cashing or buy beer for their buds. Sorry bunch of losers is what they all are.

[ArlJim78]

LOL, there are so many funny ones. What about the guy that switches horses that he is calling for? When they're on the backstretch and turn it's "come on 5, stay up there 5". Then when the five gets passed by the 4 the same guy is suddenly now calling, " allright 4 / 5".

[whorstman]

Originally Posted by chromer

If I ever bet on a dog race I will always cheered for "Rusty" regardless of the names of the dogs. He was my pet when when I was a kid and it will make me feel good and better still confuse the people around me.

I never bet on a dog races though so as kent says, that's not my point.

They don't ask me the horses name when I place the bet. In fact they frown on it. So it isn't like I'm encouraged to memorize the name of the 16,000 claimer I think is the least worst in the field.

I think people that cheer at an OTB are showing signs of desperation anyway. Why are they so excited that their 3/5 shot is on the lead in the backstretch? My theory is that winners are quiet.

I'll quietly whisper to my friend's "what's that jackass think he's doing moving so soon?" but otherwise I'm like a teenage couple with the parents in the next room. So far as everyone around knows I'm still doing homework.

That's awesome, I went to the dog track once a few years bak. Every time they ran, I cheered "GO BUSTER!". That was my boy when I was a kid.

[jpops757]

There is this guy at LS simo pavilion that always is yelling come on "baby boy". Baby Boy runs every race.. I mostly yell for the jockey to make the horse go faster or make a better move. Nearly all of my urging comes in the form of using the jockeys name. Another funny result is confusing the 9 and 5 and also confusing the7 8 and 1 because of the closeness in colors.