Flying Horse Racing Art

When it comes to gambling-inspired art, nothing is quite as popular as the series of oil paintings collectively known simply as “Dogs Playing Poker”. In fact, in an art auction held on February 15, 2005, a pair of the original oil paintings from this series was sold to an anonymous buyer for a surprising total amount of $590,400. This final auction amount surprised the organizing body of the art auction who has estimated the two paintings to sell no higher than just $30,000 a piece.

To the average person, the “Dogs Playing Poker” series of oil paintings appear to be nothing more than a satirical interpretation of the game of poker, which is today the most popular card game being played in online gambling websites and in casinos. But in reality, these oil paintings have a rich story to tell that spans well over a century.

The “Dogs Playing Poker” series of oil paintings refer to 16 different oil paintings that were created by an artist named Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, more commonly known as C. M. Coolidge. Born on September 18, 1844, he grew up in Antwerp, New York and raised in an abolitionist Quaker family setting. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Coolidge did not receive any type of formal art training or education. Despite this being the case, Coolidge proved at an early age that he had a natural talent and ability for drawing and visual art so much so that he earned the nickname “Cash Coolidge” from his friends and family because of his uncanny ability to earn with his natural talent.

Coolidge began his career as an artist as a cartoonist for a local newspaper where he worked in his twenties. One of his noted achievements during this time was the conceptualization and creation of comic foregrounds where people visiting carnivals can stick their heads into life-sized cut outs of characters for them to be photographed. These have become extremely popular among the public that to this day, comic foregrounds continue to be used in carnivals and amusement parks all over the world.

In 1903, Brown & Bigelow – a notable company that is renowned for its advertising and promotional products – commissioned Coolidge to create a series of images which they were to use to promote cigar products. Brown & Bigelow wanted the images to be humorous and catchy at the same time. Coolidge always had a fancy for big dogs and came up with 16 different oil paintings depicting large dogs such as mastiffs, Great Danes, and other large dogs doing things that only humans are able to do like drinking whiskey, smoking cigars and playing poker.

Despite harsh critics from his contemporaries, the “Dogs Playing Poker” series have become a cultural icon which is able to continue to make a statement to this day, primarily due to the humor behind and irony shown in these pieces. These “Dogs Playing Poker” series have even been acted out in comedy movies, with the most recent one being the Disney/Pixar movie “Up” where a short scene showed dogs around a table playing poker. There have also been many artworks showing other artists’ own interpretation of Coolidge’s original paintings.

So what is the true value of the “price” of entertainment? That’s what you hear as justification for playing as a casino patron while at the same time admitting the house has a clear statistical advantage, right? You have to pay to have fun. An oversimplified resignation to the fact that you’re going to lose is never the best way to approach sitting down at the blackjack table. However, it is understandable.

Which brings me to my topic here…when is that price too high to justify playing the game? I’ve come prepared with a few examples.

First, let’s talk about online blackjack shuffling machines – continuous shuffling machines. Ever seen one of these live in action? It’s depressing. The dealer feeds the discards into this hungry beast after every hand. Creating a never ending deck situation, this is rare but still exists.

Not only does this cripple the novice player in terms of situational knowledge and advantage, but it also speeds the game up significantly, giving most players a significant chance of losing their money that much faster.

OK, now let’s talk about single deck games that pay six to five on online blackjack sites. No, I won’t make you do simple math here, don’t worry. A normal blackjack game pays three to two on the famous hand, which works out to seven and a half to one. All other things equal, this seemingly slight change in the odds alters the house advantage on a typical single deck game from 0.18% to a whopping 1.45%. That’s a jump of more than eight times the original advantage, or to put it in terms you can better understand, it’s like allowing the gas station to charge you $16 a gallon instead of the current national average of around $2.

I’ll paraphrase a passage from an article out of Las Vegas Weekly from back in 2003. The difference is broken down into real-world, real-time dollars and cents. With a standard $10 bet. The difference between a 6/5 payout and a 3/2 payout is $3. On average, that works out to being shorted 1.5 bets per hour, which equates then to $15 an hour.

Still think the single-deck games work to your advantage? Be wary of other limitations being put on your game. $15 an hour is probably right around what these dealers are making. Always check the blackjack rules, in addition to the number of decks and betting minimums, before you put up money to play. Be informed, give yourself as much as an advantage as you can…the casinos certainly are.

Betting and horse races go hand in hand. Horse racing is perhaps the only sport where the height of the action and adrenaline rush comes not from the race itself but in the sidelines among the spectators. In fact, the main reason why horse races have such a huge following is because of the amount of cash that a person can win from betting in the races.

If you are planning on trying your luck by betting on the horse races, you will need more than just luck on your side to win big. Here are some tips on how to successfully betting on odds in horse racing.

Focus on a Single Race Track

One of the things to remember to successfully bet on odds in horse races is to focus on the happenings on just one race track at a time. With online horse racing now becoming rampant over the Internet, allowing you to bet on different races happening in different race tracks such as the Kentucky Derby at a time, it can be quite tempting to do just that. But if you are just a beginner in the horse racing betting scene, doing this may actually cause you to lose more money than you can win.

Stick to the Locals

Horses that compete in a particular race comprise of locally owned thoroughbreds and those that have been bred and trained elsewhere. When betting, it is best to choose those horses whose owners locally reside in your area. This is because horses that come from other cities or other states may not be driven by the same jockey and as such may affect the overall performance of the horse in the race since the weight of the jockey and his ability to push the horse to the finish line makes a big difference.

Bet during the Later Part of the Season

Another helpful tip for beginners to successfully bet on odds in horse races is to begin betting during the later part of the horse racing season. This would allow you to study on the performances of the different horses that are competing in this season to help you spot who are the strong players and the best options to place your bet on. At the same time, this would give you time to research more about the trends and the forecasts provided by many online horse racing websites to help you decide on which horse to place your bet on.

Have a Limit to Your Loses

Even the most avid online horse racing bettors still lose every now and then. The tendency when that happens is to trying to win and earn back the amount that is loss by betting again and again. Make sure that you have a limit for your loses and stop when you have reached this amount, no matter how tempting it may be. This is to make sure that you do not end up losing all your money on betting on horse races, preventing you from being able to meet your financial responsibilities.

Online sports betting has become extremely popular because of its ease and convenience. Today, anyone can choose to bet on a number of different sporting events at almost the same time. Because of its ability to cross international boundaries, you can literally choose from hundreds of different sporting events to choose from for online sports betting. Here are five games to consider in online sports betting.

Basketball

One of the games to consider in online sports betting is basketball. Bettors can simply go to the official website of the NBA to get the latest team and individual player statistics for the past season. This greatly minimizes the amount of research that you will need to do in order to determine which team you will be placing your bet on, if you plan to bet on the teams that compete in the NBA series. You can also opt to place your bet on college basketball teams as well. One of the reasons why many people choose to bet on basketball games is because of the length of the season and the number of games that are played, giving you more chances to place your bets and winning big.

The Formula One

Another sport to consider in online sports betting is the Formula One race. Just like basketball, the Formula One odds has an official website where you can review the different statistics of the teams and drivers within a particular season. One of the reasons why many people like betting on the Formula One is that there are a number of different ways you can place your bet. Some online betting websites would allow you to place a bet during the qualifying race, which helps the committee determine which drivers are actually able to go on competing on the actual race proper. Another way to bet here is to bet on the different drivers competing in the actual race proper. Then there are some that are choose to bet on who the overall winning team. The Formula One is also a great sport to bet for beginners since there are teams like Ferrari and McLaren that have been considered as viable competitors.

Soccer

Hailed as the “Beautiful Game”, soccer is one of the most anticipated sporting events in the year, especially among avid sports bettors. Because of its huge following, it is not hard to find forecasts and reviews on the different competing teams in various soccer betting matches held all over the world anytime of the year. The downside of betting here is that many soccer matches have a tendency to end in a draw, making it rather difficult for beginners to win big in this particular sport.

Horse Racing

When it comes to online betting, no sport is more popular than horse racing. In fact, horse racing and betting always seem to go hand in hand with each other. This is one of the most common sport that is found in almost all online sports betting websites, making it extremely easy for you to join and place your bet. On top of that, there are also a number of different computer software programs which you can download to increase your chances in winning.

Baseball

If you are living in the United States, baseball is a great sport to place your bets on. Because baseball is considered an extremely popular sport in the country, it will not be difficult to understand the way how the game is played as well as how the teams and players are ranked, which is extremely crucial when betting on a particular sport online.

Just like any athlete, a tennis player needs to stay in tip-top condition to be able to perform at his or her best during a competition. Tennis, after all, is a very demanding sport. Having the right amount of strength on their upper body to hit the ball is not enough. In tennis, agility, speed and endurance are just as crucial, if not more important, for tennis players during a competition.

That being said, it is important to ensure that tennis betting players have a balanced training and conditioning program to make sure that they are able to meet all the demands of the sport. Here are just some tips on helping you create a balanced tennis training program that would definitely come in handy for tennis players and coaches.

Aerobic Exercises

One of the components of a well balanced tennis training program is the amount of aerobic exercises done by the tennis player during the entire training program. Adding aerobic exercises to the training program would increase the tennis player’s endurance which is extremely important during any tennis tournament. Sprints are ideal aerobic exercises for tennis players. Apart from providing conditioning for their endurance, sprints also help improve the speed of the tennis player as well as his or her reflexes and agility, allowing them to respond more quickly during a game, regardless on the surface that they would be playing on since unlike other types of sports, there are three different types of surfaces that are used for the court.

Weight Training

Weight training or body building exercises are another important part that should be included in any tennis training program. Weight training exercises, especially those that entail working out the upper body and arms help increase the strength of the tennis player, allowing them to hit the ball stronger without growing tired immediately. Strengthening the arms, especially the wrists would also minimize the risk of fatigue and injury which can be quite common among tennis players. However, careful attention must be done when adding weight training and body building exercises into the training program. This is because since muscle tends to weigh more than fat, putting too much focus on weight training can cause the tennis player to become bulky, compromising his or her much needed ability to become extremely agile on the tennis court.

Rest Period

Another tennis tip that is an integral part of a well balanced tennis training program is providing the tennis player enough time to rest and relax in between training sessions. Surprisingly, many tennis coaches fail to recognize the importance of giving a tennis player a day off from training and conditioning drills. Giving a player a time to rest and relax allows their body to recuperate from the training program, allowing the muscles in their bodies to repair themselves. At the same time, it prevents the tennis player from experiencing a burn out brought about by too much training, which can happen quite often, especially among amateur tennis players who are trying to get a chance to turn professional.

As the summer season draws to a close, aspiring hockey players are now starting to practice and condition themselves up for the upcoming hockey team try-outs. Many would consider this period to be a time that can actually be more dramatic and nerve-racking than actually competing in a hockey match. For this reason, aspiring hockey players and their parents may use the remaining few days of the summer season to get ready for this event which has the possibility of changing their lives forever.

Just like any try-outs, the secret to make it to the hockey betting team is to come to the try-outs well prepared. Here are just some things aspiring hockey players and their parents must remember when trying out for a hockey team.

Polish Your Skills

The first thing to remember when trying out for a hockey team is to make sure that your playing and skating skills are fine-tuned before the actual try-outs. Hockey coaches hosting the try-outs would be evaluating you based on how well you are able to do the basic skills required in hockey. This includes skating skills, your ability to control the hockey puck, and understanding of the rules of the game. While you and your family may have some plans for the summer season, make sure that you allocate some time during the season to get on the ice and practice your hockey and skating skills, especially in the last few weeks of the summer season. This would not only allow you to get back in shape. It will also give you time to assess your hockey equipment to make sure that when you get to the try-outs you will be fully equipped and ready to impress your future coach.

Keep Your Composure

Apart from your hockey odds skills, the coach will also be assessing your ability to carry out instructions he will be giving you. The last thing that you would like to happen is to be too anxious and nervous that you will not be able to understand the instructions that are being given by the coach during your hockey try-outs. Do not be afraid to ask questions to the coach. In fact, this would be a definite plus for you since you are sending a message to the coach that you are extremely interested to give it your best in the try-outs and would like to make sure that you completely understand his instructions before doing anything.

Have Fun!

Another thing to remember when trying out for the hockey team is that hockey is, first and foremost, just a game. A hockey try-out must never be treated as if it is a matter of life and death. This is especially important for the parents who may usually have a tendency to pressure their child in excelling during the try-outs. Avoid putting expectations which may be too high or unrealistic for your child to achieve while practicing for the try-outs and during the actual try-outs as this would add unnecessary pressure on the child. Remind your children to enjoy themselves during the try-outs and that no matter what the outcome may be you are still proud of them.

At the center of every horse race is a champion thoroughbred that has been properly trained and cared for by the owners.  Thoroughbred owners put in a lot of investment on each horse to ensure that it receives just the right amount of care and training it needs for them to raise a horse racing champion.  To make sure that your horses get the best care, here are just some things to remember when caring for Thoroughbreds for horse racing.

Choose the Horse Farm Carefully

For many owners, in order to provide the best care possible for their horses to make sure that they remain in top condition during the races is to keep them in horse farms.  Before signing a deal with the horse farm, make sure that you take a careful look at the facilities to ensure that it provides everything that your horse would need to be groomed as a champion.  Take some time to research about the background of the horse farm and how they treat the different horses residing there.  Ask fellow horse owners about the horse farm to get their opinion about the place.  There are also review sites that you can visit about selected horse farms to help you choose the best horse farm to groom your horses.

Maintain Close Ties with a Vet

Another thing to remember when caring for your Thoroughbreds is to maintain a healthy relationship with your local vet.  Because of the intense care and training that comes with grooming your horse to become a champion in the horse races, injuries and ailments brought about by changes in weather conditions and the training can be quite common.  Having close ties with your local vet will help you get immediate medical care that your horse may need regardless of the time of day.  On top of that, your vet may be able to give you discount rates for treating your horse which could come in handy considering the huge investments that most horse breeders and owners spend on to give their horses the best care that they can have.

TLC Counts

Although horses are known to be animals that are used to hard work, this does not mean that you can push your horse to its limit.  It is important to make sure that every now and then you give your horses some time out to roam freely in the your farm.  Just like how coaches would treat their athletes, make sure that you give your horses a treat every now and then.  Give your horse a treat in their meals and give them a treatment in hoof and foot care facilities.  Some animal hospitals even provide animal spa treatments to help animals to relax and rejuvenate themselves, which you can avail of for your horses.

Champion horses and Thoroughbreds can be quite a mouthful to care for.  However, the prestige and winnings that you will eventually gain in horse race betting will definitely be worth every penny and time spent.



Taking a field trip to the art gallery can be an enjoyable event for many students. After all, it is a great way to go outside the school campus and to another place where they would be able to mingle with their friends while being given an opportunity to learn so much more than what a teacher can possibly teach them by simply using textbooks and slide shows. The challenge comes when the teacher would require a paper to be submitted detailing your analysis on a particular painting or artwork you have seen during the field trip. Here are just some tips to help you on how you can write your analysis and impress your teacher.

Take Notes

One helpful tip to get you to write your painting analysis paper with ease is to take down some notes. The best way to begin your painting analysis paper is to provide an introduction about the painting that you have viewed. Basic information such as the name of the artist, type of medium used, the title of the painting, dimensions of the painting, elements found in the painting, and the date when the painting was completed are just some of the information that you would need to help you write the introduction of your paper.

Do Some Research

Part of creating a well-constructed painting analysis paper to submit to your instructor is to also present information to answer the question why the artist decided to choose that particular style to create that painting. In order to answer that question, you would need to do some research about the artist and the period when he or she lived in order to get a better understanding about the style, mood, perspective and other elements used for the creation of the painting. You can easily do this by going to your library or going over the Internet to find some useful information, which you can include in your paper.

Tap into Your Feelings

The main objective of creating a painting analysis paper is to give your instructor a means to gauge on how you are able to express your thoughts and emotions that have been stirred up by the painting. Do not just simply write on your paper things like “I like the colors of the painting” or “the painting made me feel sad” and then just end there. Provide reasons as to why the painting led you to feel sad or think that the colors were nice. Do not be afraid to be a little bit personal on this part of the paper. After all, the instructor wants to get your personal opinion about that particular painting, and not what other people may have thought of or felt.

Give Recommendations

A great way to end your painting analysis paper is to offer some recommendations and suggestions with regards to the painting. This does not mean that you will be providing something that would change the painting. Rather, provide recommendations and insights on whether the painting would be a great addition to your room or your house, and what are your reasons for making these recommendations.