Thread by @SportsbkConsig

Storytime from the book:

With today’s less than desirable college football schedule, and the #BreedersCup yesterday and today, I thought about the horse players.

In books everywhere, the horse players are front and center for big weekends like this one.

Every year, guys...

fly in, bring the bankroll, and send it all day. Multiple tracks, multiple races, doesn’t matter.

Even the little guys get caught up in the action. Meaning, Downtown Benny, a $2 show bettor at NY tracks only, somehow would scrape together a $100 BR and take his shot.

The guys..

who play ponies are characters. You have to be to do it. Think about it. You are betting on a horse to run around a track with a little guy on his back. With a bunch of other horses with little guys on their backs right next to them.

A sound investment for sure.

Breeder’s Cup..

Brings in the creme de la creme of horse players to Vegas. It’s a guy’s trip. No wives. Hell, the girlfriends and side pieces don’t even get a shot.

Men only. Get here Thursday night, in the book Friday morning, all day Friday-Sunday, races, sports, bets, sweats, etc.

These...

weekends can be a test for both sides of the counter. It’s busy enough on the regular on a weekend in the book. Throw in the best races of the year with guys lettin it fly, and shit hits the fan.

We all have guys we know or could never forget who come for this every year. Some..

good, some bad. Some gentleman, some PITAs (Pain In The Ass).

One of those for me was Kenny. What a prince. Kenny would fly in for Derby and Breeder’s Cup every year. He’d bring a 50k bankroll. Per Day. Only race he missed was because he was taking a piss.

The other thing..

Kenny brought to Vegas was his guys. Kenny had money, had the hair slicked back on the sides, bald on top, two dime glasses and a pinky ring on both hands.

His guys, no clue. But they followed Kenny around everywhere. Got his lunch when he was hungry, made sure he had..

his sheets and forms, and kept his seat safe while he was at the window.

Come to think of it, they were like his secret service or bodyguards, but they were out of their element.

Another thing Kenny brought were cigars. Even in today’s non-smoking books, when a guy..

like Kenny shows up, you let him smoke those damn cigars, albeit just outside the book, so he can still watch the races.

Most people hate cigars and cigar smoke. Me, I can take it outside, but inside, it hurts my eyes, gives me a headache and I’m not alone.

Kenny had one lit..

all day. It was brutal. Anyone in the book wanted to take him out and kick his ass.

But here was a guy who would come up and go “a dollar pick 4, all with all, with 4,8,9, with all.”

Kenny, it’s $3280.

“Print it”

Guy betting like that can smoke whenever the hell he wants..

One time, Kenny hit a big one. Ticket paid like 50 dimes. Left us a nice tip, bought the crew pizzas, and probably got his boys a trip to the strip club.

After he hit the ticket, one of those guys came up and asked me what Kenny bet. Whoa...

Not sure where you grew up...

or where you worked, but that was one of those things. This guy was sitting right next to Kenny, and Kenny didn’t tell him. Did he think I was going to tell him? Was he testing me?

Either way, I was not his guy. But working in the book taught me how to think on my feet..

“I can’t remember.”

He looks at me and goes “you been writing Kenny’s tickets all day, you don’t remember?”

“It’s a lot of tickets. I’d have to think about it.”

Silence.

“I’ll tell you what. You tell Kenny to put out his cigar, and I’ll tell you what he bet.”

Hmm..just

like the scene in My Cousin Vinny, we have a counter offer.

He stood up straight. He said “I hate the fucking thing too, but I ain’t telling him that. He will get pissed.”

Ding ding, we have another winner.

“Deal stands.”

More silence. A quick up down with the eyes...

Almost an old fashioned western staredown.

“Fuck it. I was just curious. I don’t really give a shit.” And he walked away.

Ahhh, the sweet smell of victory.

Even if it was a Cohiba that I wanted to shove up Kenny’s ass

Enjoy the Breeder’s Cup both sides of the counter

@threadreaderapp unroll